UFC's Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve Agree Via Twitter to UFC 156 Fight

UFC's Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve agree via Twitter to UFC 156 fight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Nov 20, 2012 at 3:15 pm ET

Responding to a fan's tweet, heavyweights Cheick Kongo (17-8-2 MMA, 10-6-1 UFC) and Stefan Struve (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) today agreed to a fight at UFC 156.

"It would be very exciting 4 the fans & a great challenge for both of us," Kongo wrote on his Twitter account.

The proposed matchup comes three days after the French heavyweight was criticized by UFC President Dana White.

UFC 156 takes place Feb. 2 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The event airs live on pay-per-view and FX. There's no word if Kongo vs. Struve will actually be part of the lineup.

Speaking to reporters following this past Saturday's UFC 154 event, White again took aim at Kongo for turning down a fight next month with Roy Nelson at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale. The UFC executive had first revealed the news on FUEL TV's "UFC Tonight," which prompted a terse response from Kongo on Twitter.

"I did NOT REFUSE to FIGHT Roy Nelson," Kongo wrote. "I REFUSED to TAKE A FIGHT on SHORT NOTICE. Which is NOT THE SAME AT ALL."

White, however, said it was.

"That's the business you're in," he said after UFC 154. "When you turn down a fight, you turn down a fight, and that's two in a row (for Kongo). I don't know who he's waiting for."

The wait, as it turns out, might be over for Kongo, who also revealed on Twitter that he turned down a short-notice fight with Daniel Cormier at an ill-fated Strikeforce event planned for Nov. 3. Kongo most recently fought at UFC 149, where he outpointed Shawn Jordan in a fight universally panned by MMA observers. The win nonetheless put him back on the right foot following a TKO loss to Mark Hunt at UFC 144.

The 37-year-old Kongo has struggled with injuries in his UFC career. He revealed a shoulder injury that hampered his performance against Jordan and was unable to fight Nelson at UFC 116 due to back surgery.

Still, the 6-foot-4 Frenchman carries a 4-1-1 record in his past six outings and boasts wins over Paul Buentello, Pat Barry and Matt Mitrione.

The 6-foot-11 Struve, meanwhile, is on his biggest hot streak since his octagon debut at UFC 95. In September in UFC on FUEL TV 5's headliner, the Dutch fighter stopped prospect Stipe Miocic by second-round TKO, and prior to that, he submitted up-and-comer Lavar Johnson in 65 seconds at UFC 146. In all, he has notched four straight wins.

Struve's streak means he has more to lose in the potential matchup, which has yet to be confirmed by the UFC. Still, the 24-year-old fighter welcomed the idea of fighting Kongo.

"Great Fight for sure, let's see if they got a spot left for us then!" he wrote on Twitter.