UFC 130 Preview: The Main Card

Stefan Struve (left) could surprise Travis Browne on the floor. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

Heavyweights are the red-meat offering on a fight card, and this one is likely to be served up like a rare T-bone, bleeding all over the plate; not because both are not fairly talented prospects -- they are -- but because of the sheer size. At 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, Browne is the small guy in this one, facing the 6-foot-11 Struve. One just hopes the ref can get out of the way and does not get squashed.

Struve’s shown exceptional resilience in his UFC career. After a brutal promotional debut -- a knockout loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 95 -- he has since rallied to go 4-1, and at a mere 23 years old, the Dutchman has a lot of room to literally and figuratively fill out as a fighter. Browne is a similar proposition, with a 10-0-1 record, and a solid showing in a draw against veteran Cheick Kongo in his last bout at UFC 120.

Technically, Struve is the sharper fighter, while Browne’s size fuels a somewhat bullying style. Struve is effective at landing punches down the middle and calm with opponents in his guard. He will always be a little short on pure strength, due to his lanky frame and lack of a wrestling background.

A lot of this bout depends on Browne’s conditioning and whether or not he can pressure his foe without one of the big turns-of-momentum Struve found in recent bouts. Seemingly bushwhacked against Christian Morecraft at UFC 117, Struve hammered Morecraft to win via stoppage in the second round, and he handled Sean McCorkle at UFC 124 despite getting planted against the cage in the opening moments. If Browne can bang away and keep Struve on the mat, he wins. In a standup bout, he could get caught and taken out.

Flip a coin and call it. Brown by close, competitive decision in a bout with exciting momentum swings.

Next Fight: Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago