A slew of health issues have forced Stefan Struve to walk away from MMA for good.
Monday, the Dutch heavyweight announced he has retired from MMA and detailed his struggles with an inner ear issue that have caused him vertigo issues, loss of hearing and tinnitus. Struve mentioned he was contacted by the UFC this past week for a fight, but decided to decline and hang up his gloves.
In a long statement posted on Twitter, Struve (29-13 MMA, 13-11 UFC) described the ongoing battles and testing procedures he underwent to try to solve the issues with his vestibular system. But he said after suffering a first-round knockout to Tai Tuivasa in his final outing at UFC 254 this past October, many of those problems surfaced again.
What’s up everyone. I got an announcement to make today. It was a little too long so I had to improvise, you can read more in the attachement. I have decided to retire from professional fighting. Thank you all for the support 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/z2eZAALUoP
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) February 15, 2021
Struve was a heavyweight contender for much of his 24-fight UFC career. His best run came from 2011-2012, when he notched four straight stoppage wins, including a knockout of current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
“The Skyscraper” had mixed results after that, but went the distance only twice in 29 pro wins. His most recent victory came in February 2019 when he submitted Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a “Performance of the Night” effort.
