Stefan Struve makes miraculous return after heart ailment against Matt Mitrione at UFC 175
The date for Stefan Struve's miraculous comeback fight has been set.
Struve, whose MMA career was derailed last year by a heart ailment, will meet Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 on July 5 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced Wednesday night. Struve, 26, was cleared by doctors in his native Holland in April after a lengthy, frustrating recovery period. It was once unclear if Struve would ever fight again.
Back in August, Struve's manager Lex McMahon released a statement that his client had a leaking aortic valve and enlarged heart. Tests found that Struve has a bicuspid valve -- he was born with two leaflets in his aortic valve, rather than the usual three. The genetic issue and his enlarged heart allowed only 70 percent of blood to be pumped into the aorta and the rest of his body, with the remaining 30 percent ending up back in his heart chamber.
With treatment, Struve's condition had greatly improved by last October with his wish to return to the Octagon never wavering. McMahon told MMA Fighting at the time that the leakage had been greatly reduced and that his heart was still enlarged, but benign. Struve returned to regular training a month later.
In April, McMahon said on "The MMA Hour" that the only thing they were waiting for was UFC doctors to take a look at Struve's file. Evidently, everything turned out fine, because the 7-footer is set to return to competition.
Struve (25-6) is coming off a knockout loss to Mark Hunt in March 2013. Before that, he had won four in a row, making him one of the top contenders in the heavyweight division. Still only 26 years old with excellent physical tools, Struve has probably not yet reached his full potential.
Mitrione (7-3) will make for an interesting matchup. The Ultimate Fighter alum has lost three of his last five fights, but despite being 35 years old, he's still a relative novice in MMA after a career in the NFL. Mitrione, coming off a one-punch KO of Shawn Jordan in January, suspected he could fight Struve next when speaking with FOX Sports last week.
UFC 175 looks to be the most stacked card of the year thus far. Chris Weidman defends his middleweight title against Lyoto Machida in the main event and women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey meets Alexis Davis in the co-headliner. Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva also meet at the event in a grudge match following their Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 coaching stints.
