UFC 107's Stefan Struve: If Paul Buentello Wants to Jab, He's Going to Lose

UFC heavyweight “SkySkraper” Stefan Struve (22-3) joined Reverend Turk Vangel and Gary Friedman of MMA Gospel Radio last Wednesday to talk about his fight versus “Head Hunter” Paul Buentello (25-10) at UFC 107 in Memphis tonight.

Gospel Radio: How is your training going?

Stefan Struve : Training went good. I heard I was fighting Paul after my last fight and started training a week after that fight once I got home.  So, I feel even better for this fight than for my last one.

GR: Tell our listeners where you train out of and who your coach is.

SS: I train out of the Netherlands in a town called Wormer, near Amsterdam. My coach is Bob Schrijber. He is a Dutch fighter that has fought a lot of fights in Japan and Europe. He is one of the biggest names in European MMA.

GR: You’re pretty tall at 6′11″. Can you think of any disadvantages you may have when it comes to being so tall?

SS: People ask me that a lot. I don’t have any disadvantages because of my height. I am a pretty athletic guy you know. When your not as athletic as I am, you can have trouble with your height but I have no trouble at all.

GR: I know it is also probably an advantage when it comes to the ground game.

SS: You need to learn how to deal with it you know. You need to learn to use it an advantage and I think I am doing pretty good so far.

GR: I saw your fight with Yuji Sakuragi in M-1 and the way you setup that triangle, I don’t think a guy with shorter legs could have done that.

SS: Yeah, it is difficult but it was a pretty straight move that he didn’t expect and those long legs really help with triangles. You can lock it up way quicker than anybody else. It’s a good thing.

GR: You are only 21 years old, you have already had over 20 MMA fights, do you feel having so many fights at such a young age has been a positive and do you no longer have that same nervousness  prior to a fight that you may have had when you first began?

SS: I have been fighting since I was 16 years old. It’s normal for me. I am not that nervous before fights. you learn how to deal with it better every time. I am feeling good, looking forward to Saturday and ready to rock.

GR: In you fight with Junior Dos Santos we saw you got rocked, you kind of disputed the stoppage a little bit, is that a rematch you would like to have?

SS: Yeah, I would love to have a rematch for sure. Junior is a really good fighter, but I don’t think I have shown yet in the UFC what I can do on my feet. We are working on that and getting my stand up better every time but yeah, a rematch would be great.

GR: Do you think you underestimated his power a little bit?

SS: I didn’t underestimate him. I thought he was a really good fighter. I think it was the UFC jitters, just learning how to deal with fighting in the UFC. I basically didn’t know what to do when I got in the cage and that’s it.

GR: You are a striker. You have studied kick boxing which was your intro into the sport but a lot of your victories have been by choke with a bunch of submissions on your record. How is your striking game coming as opposed to your submission game? Do you think one is a little bit ahead of the other?

SS: I am finishing a lot of fights by submission, you know, but that is because until Junior no one really wanted to stand up with me because of my height, my reach and my kickboxing. If someone takes me down I know how to get into a good position to finish the fight.

GR:  You are fighting Paul Buentello this Saturday at UFC 107. He is a great striker that’s has been around a long time , a veteran in the sport. Do you expect him to goad you into a slug fest?

SS: No, Paul is more of a technical and a clean striker. He likes to show his jab and set something up with his jab. It will be difficult for him to do with me, but I am pretty curious as to what his game plan is because, if he wants to start jabbing with me he is not going to win the fight is what I think.

GR: Paul has been banned from AKA, which is where he had been training. Do you feel something like this will have an effect on this fight?

SS: Changing gyms can have an effect on your fight but Paul is an experienced fighter who has been in the game a long long time and I am sure he is in great shape and is ready to fight. I don’t think it will be a big factor for him

GR: Let’s change gears a bit, what do you do for fun when you are not fighting?

SS: I am 21 so I like to go out and have fun with my friends, go out on the weekends. I basically love all other sports as well, so when I am not training, I like to do other sports and playing Xbox

GR: Some women in the chat wanted to know if you are currently single?

SS: Yes I am.

GR: You train in a great camp in Holland but have you ever thought about coming to the US to train with one of the elite camps here?

SS: I am not going to leave here for sure. I love my home country, I love my friends and family and being around me when I am training. You can learn all kinds of stuff from everybody. I am training very hard in Holland right now with, in my opinion, one of the best stand up coaches in the world, so I don’t see why I wouldhave to move to improve my game. Maybe my wrestling, it is better in The States, but the rest, I am fine with Holland.

GR: When you get outside the U.S ., wrestling is not as big as it is here. Would you take the opportunity to train with a team here in the U.S. for a little bit to improve that aspect of your game?

SS: Yeah, I would love to go train with a good wrestling team for a couple of weeks.  It would probably improve my game, but I am primarily a striker and my ground game is primarily BJJ so that is my style. I don’t really need wrestling with my style, in my opinion. I don’t need to take people down. I like to stand and trade and, when someone takes me down, I know what to do.

GR: Another non fight related question. What is your favorite movie?

SS: Today I watched “Law Abiding Citizen” and that is a good movie.

GR: What is your weight like right now?

SS: When I came in on Monday I was 254, I think.

Gr: Wow!

SS: Yeah, I am getting bigger.

GR: If you win this fight, who would you like to see as your next opponent in the UFC?

SS: I am fine with anybody. I am not in a rush. I have all the time in the world. I could give the real tough guys in the division a good fight. I am not saying I would win those fights, but give me some time and I will be a top contender in a couple of years.

GR: We appreciate you coming on MMA Gospel Radio and good luck to you Saturday.

SS: Thanks for having me. It was my first radio interview here in, the states so it was fun.

GR: Any sponsors you want to thank before we go?

SS: Tokyo Five, Hyabusa.