UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve is set to take on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC Fight Night 87, which takes place in Struve’s homeland of the Netherlands.

Struve made his first appearance in the Octagon at the young age of 21 against Junior dos Santos at UFC 95 back in 2009. Dos Santos took out Struve in his debut in the first round by TKO.

Now, Struve says he is a much different fighter and has grown into his 7-foot frame.

“I added like 50, 60 pounds of muscle to my frame, so yeah, it’s a big difference,” Struve told MMAjunkie Radio. “I’m not a kid anymore. I now understand what fighting should be about.”

Although Struve says that he had the talent to compete in the UFC when he first made it into the promotion, he admits that he was not ready to be a top-level contender. However, now 28-years-old and many fights later, Struve is looking to come off his last loss with a vengeance.

“I haven’t had my best fights,” he said. “But I really had the best training camp I’ve ever had before this fight. I’m very relaxed and very focused.

“I still think my guard is one of the most dangerous guards in the heavyweight division, and I feel very comfortable if it ends up there. I don’t think it’s going to hit the ground, though.”

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