· Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve Added To “Ultimate Fight Night 21”

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 02/03 at 12:17 PM

Struve "Ultimate Fight Night 21" has received a burst of star power as "The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights" Champion Roy Nelson is set to face Stefan Struve at the event. The card, which takes place in Charlotte, N.C. on March 31, will kick off a night of UFC action that will climax with the premiere of the long awaited eleventh season of the popular reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter." TUF 11 features heated rivals Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz as coaches and the two will fight in the summer to close the show.

Nelson (14-4) defeated Brendan Schaub by knockout in December to become the latest heavyweight TUF champion, a title first held by Rashad Evans in season two. UFC President Dana White was highly critical of Nelson for the duration of the show, claiming Nelson was not impressive despite dominating the show's poster boy Kimbo Slice in the third episode. "Big Country" was perhaps the most experienced fighter ever to compete on the series. He is the former IFL heavyweight champion and has fought some of the toughest competition in the world including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andre Arlovski and former UFC title contender Jeff Monson.

Nelson's opponent, Struve (19-3) has won his past three fights in the UFC after losing his debut against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 95 last February. His biggest career win came by majority decision over another former UFC title contender, Paul Buentello, at UFC 107 in December. A win over a veteran fighter like Nelson would put Struve in the crowded pack of heavyweight title contenders.

The confirmed fight card for "Ultimate Fight Night 21" is as follows: