Stefan Struve vs. Antonio Silva targeted for UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam

The UFC’s debut event in the Netherlands appears to have its first bout.

Heavyweights Stefan Struve (26-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and Antonio Silva (19-8-1 MMA, 3-6 UFC) have agreed to fight at UFC Fight Night 87. A person close to the event confirmed the matchup with MMAjunkie. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the bout hasn’t formally been announced. Combate first reported the fight.

A UFC official told MMAjunkie that no bouts are official for the card but that the first matchups will be formally announced in the coming weeks.

UFC Fight Night 87 takes place May 8 at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The card is expected to air on FOX Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Struve and Silva are both honorable mentions (just outside the top 15) in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings.

Like his opponent, Struve is likely in a must-win situation. Although the 7-footer climbed the rankings with a 6-1 run from 2010-2012, he’s just 1-3 since then. In his most recent bout, the 28-year-old Dutch fighter suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Jared Rosholt. A fight prior, he halted a two-fight skid with a decision win over former UFC interim titleholder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

He now meets Silva, who’s just 1-4 (with one no-contest) since a 2013 knockout win over Alistair Overeem. Although the 36-year-old Brazilian briefly turned the tide with a TKO victory over Soa Palelei in August to halt a four-bout winless streak, he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Mark Hunt in his most recent outing.

The latest UFC Fight Night 87 card now includes:

• Antonio Silva vs. Stefan Struve
• Alistair Overeem vs. TBA

For more on UFC Fight Night 87, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.