Stipe Miocic fell victim to the UFC’s tallest-ever competitor on this day 13 years ago.
Miocic is currently enjoying life as a retired fighter following the end of an illustrious career in mixed martial arts.
His 13-year stint in the UFC was brought to an end in November 2024, when Jon Jones stopped Miocic in round three in the consensus heavyweight GOAT’s Madison Square Garden retirement fight.
Miocic’s rise to greatness on MMA’s biggest stage was legendary, but it was not without some stumbling blocks. That included a rather sizable one that handed Miocic his very first loss in the sport on this day, September 29, in 2012.
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UFC’s tallest-ever fighter stopped Stipe Miocic with vicious uppercuts
Nobody taller than Stefan Struve has ever entered the Octagon. The Dutchman, aptly named ‘The Skyscraper’, was an attraction on every card he competed on simply due to his huge frame.
The 7-foot giant was unable to reach gold in the UFC but he did put his height to good use in plenty of matchups against prominent names, including Miocic.
The then-future heavyweight GOAT stands as the biggest name on Struve’s résumé after they headlined the UFC on Fuel TV 5 event in Nottingham, England. Miocic was three fights into his Octagon career at the time, having moved to 9-0 as a pro. ‘The Skyscraper’, meanwhile, already had 11 UFC fights on his 24-5 record.
That edge in experience perhaps played into things on fight night, as Struve pounded Miocic with uppercuts in round two to force a standing TKO stoppage as the rocked future champ struggled to stay on his feet.
Struve went on to lose eight of his remaining 12 fights in the UFC before retiring after a knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa in 2020. Miocic, meanwhile, retired four years after ‘The Skyscraper’, having broken multiple records and enjoyed two reigns as UFC heavyweight champion.
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Stefan Struve always wanted a major UFC rule change
While Struve has been retired from MMA for years, he remains involved in the sport as an analyst. In addition to commentating on some regional PFL events, he’s served as an interviewer and pundit for Dutch coverage of the UFC.
‘The Skyscraper’ recently assessed where the sport and its leading promotion is at during an appearance on the MMA OddsBreaker podcast with Adam Martin and Marcel Dorff. Struve discussed a huge UFC rule change, admitting that he was always frustrated when he was not able to knee down opponents.
“I was always really annoyed with the knee to a downed opponent,” Struve said. “But, I think the rules are changing for the better with that.
“It was just always really weird to watch because people would put themselves in positions where they would be vulnerable. And MMA is as close to a real fight as you can get.
“I would always get really annoyed by the things they would do and not being able to attack with the knees. And I think the rules have improved,” Struve added.
“I’m not sure if they need to go to PRIDE rules with the knees. I’m not 100% convinced about that, but I definitely think those rules have improved and that was pretty much one of the things that I was always really annoyed by.”