It took Stefan Struve less than six months to decide that retirement from MMA wasn’t for him.
The big Dutchman will make his return from retirement against Ben Rothwell at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington D.C. on Dec. 7.
UFC officials on Tuesday formally announced the booking.
Struve (28-11 MMA, 13-9 UFC) had ended his career on a high note after securing victory at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in Prague in February. At the time, he told reporters that his arm-triangle submission win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima would be his final act inside the UFC octagon.
But now the “Skyscraper” is back, and he’s facing Rothwell (36-12 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in the nation’s capital in a bout that brings together two towering heavyweights, each with a point to prove.
For Struve, it’s an opportunity to justify his decision to return from retirement, while Rothwell is looking to snap the worst run of form of his career following a trio of decision losses to Junior Dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski in his last three outings.
The heavyweight clash joins a fight card that currently features a pair of pivotal women’s clashes in the UFC’s bantamweight and strawweight divisions. Aspen Ladd will take on Yana Kunitskaya at 135 pounds, while Cynthia Calvillo is set to face off against former title challenger Claudia Gadelha at 115.
