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No. 8 heavyweight Marcin Tybura (16-4, 7 KOs, 6 SUBs) will meet No. 12 Stefan Struve (28-10, 8 KOs, 17 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night 134 on Sunday, July 22 in Hamburg, Germany. The card airs live on FS1 starting 11 am ET.
Both Stefan Struve and Marcin Tybura have struggled to consistently win inside the UFC. This Sunday, each will hope to snap a two-fight skid when they meet inside the octagon. While the fight has no implications at the top level of the division, it’s a crossroads fight for both guys - who are trying to stay relevant in a surprisingly busy division.
Tybura’s recent losses came against Fabricio Werdum and Derrick Lewis. The first is the former champion, while the latter is a current title contender. Prior to the slide, the Polish native had racked up a three-fight winning streak, culminating in a signature win over Andrei Arlovski. He’s still relatively young in his UFC career, and is going through a heavyweight rite of passage by fighting Struve.
The 6’11” Struve is one of the longest tenured UFC heavyweights, having made 20 trips to the octagon. Though he’s always been one of the division’s better fighters, “Skyscraper” has consistently failed against the weight class’ top fighters - though he does own a win over current champion Stipe Miocic.
This’ll be an interesting fight from a betting perspective: both men hold distinct advantages over each other. First, let’s check out the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu, then let’s go over the matchup to get to your best options.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Marcin Tybura -230
Stefan Struve +175
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: -140 / +100
Striking Stats
Significant strikes landed p/m: Tybura 3.75 / Struve 3.25
Accuracy: Tybura 51.74% / Struve 46.21%
Significant strikes absorbed p/m: Tybura 3.14 / Struve 4.03
Defense: Tybura 50.89% / Struve 48.29%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Tybura 1.03 / Struve 0.6
Takedown accuracy: Tybura 54.55% / Struve 50%
Takedowns defended: Tybura 79.17% / Struve 59.09%
Submission average: Tybura 0.17 / Struve 2
Matchup Preview
We know exactly who Struve is right now. He’s an extremely tall heavyweight, a solid striker and a very good submission fighter. Unfortunately, the 30-year old has some blemishes that have kept him from best maximizing his best skills. A glass chin and an inability to keep guys at the end of his strikes has limited his ability to beat guys on the feet. Poor offensive wrestling keeps him from imposing his grappling.
Still, there’s no way that Struve would have lasted this long in the UFC if he wasn’t a pretty good fighter overall. A solid athlete for his size, Struve moves well and can throw flying stuff. When he kicks, the range is ridiculous. He consistently beats lower-ranked fighters, enabling him to carve out a solid gatekeeper role in the big show. The question is whether Tybura falls into that category.
While Tybura has a few knockouts on his resume, he doesn’t posess the power or technique to simply walk Struve down like so many others have. That’s a huge bonus for Struve. Where Marcin does his best work is on the ground - he’s a smart, savvy grappler with a knack for holding positions.
But can he get Struve to the ground? Tybura is not a natural wrestler - he clinches and tries to drag guys to the mat. Luckily for him Struve does not possess great takedown defense. This is where the fight will be won: if Tybura is able to consistently ground Struve, then it’s his scrap to lose. If forced to strike with the ultra-long Skyscraper, he’ll be in trouble.
UFC Odds Pick: Struve to win at +175
If Struve doesn’t have to worry about the knockout, he’s a much more dangerous fighter. Because Tybura doesn’t possess the natural wrestling technique to effectively take him down, I see a ton of wasted energy in the clinch. Struve should be able to take advantage of this and land some solid shots throughout the fight. And if it does go to the ground, let’s not forget that Struve is extremely well-versed in BJJ. Struve as an big underdog is a steal.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. UFC Fight UFC Fight Night 134 takes place on Sunday, July 22 in Hamburg, Germany. The card airs live on FS1 starting 11 am ET.
