Struve (left) and Minotauro (right) have a heavyweight duel in Rio. Photo: Reproduction
With a career marked by comebacks, Rodrigo Minotauro will have the support of the fans in yet another fight for rehabilitation, after spending more than a year away due to yet another serious injury. The Ultimate organization confirmed that the legendary heavyweight will face the Dutch giant Stefan struve, 2,13m, at UFC 190, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).
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This will be the fourth time in four years that Minotauro will return to the Octagon after a long period away due to physical problems. During this period, the former PRIDE champion and former interim Ultimate champion suffered three defeats and achieved two victories. In his last fight, in April last year, his brother Nogueira ended up being knocked out by the chubby guy Roy Nelson at UFC Abu Dhabi. In his career, he has a record of 34 wins, 9 losses, one draw and one unsuccessful fight.
Eleven years younger than Minotaur, Stefan struve, his opponent in Rio, also recently spent a long time away from the Octagon. The Dutchman's withdrawal was due to a rare heart condition, which was diagnosed with a leak in the aortic valve and an enlarged heart. Struve is also coming off a defeat, to his compatriot alistair overeem, last December. In his career, the “Skyscraper” (the “Skyscraper”, in Portuguese) has a record of 25 wins and seven losses.
Minotauro and Struve almost didn't face each other in 2013, but at the time, the Dutchman's health problem ended up preventing the fight from taking place. The giant challenged the Brazilian, who accepted the proposal, but the duel never got off the ground.
UFC 190 takes place on August 1st, at the HSBC Arena, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). In the main fight of the night, the champion Ronda Rousey faces the also undefeated challenger Behte Pitbull. Furthermore, the twin brother of Rodrigo Minotauro, Rogério Minotouro, is also part of the card and will reissue the historic fight against Mauritius Shogun.
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