During the opening bout on the main card of last night's (Sat., July 5, 2014) UFC 175: "Weidman vs. Machida" pay-per-view (PPV) in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was announced that Stefan Struve had fainted backstage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and his planned bout against Matt Mitrione was off.
At the time, little was known outside of the fact that Struve was looking to make a comeback after sitting out for a full year to monitor a leaking aortic valve and enlarged heart that threatened to end his career. There were rumors that he had a panic attack and UFC President Dana White would later say at the post-fight press conference that he was "doing great" and cleared by doctors in short order.
"Yeah, he's doing great. The doctor cleared him and let him go. You know, he has this condition that he... every specialist and doctor has cleared him and checked him out and the commission approved him. It reminds me of the Holyfield thing. The guy is going to have to retire, then he's back. I guess tonight you could... he had something like a panic attack. He started hyperventilating, he almost blacked out, his blood pressure dropped. I don't know, it's just one of those weird things. I'm just glad he's okay."
Despite his lack of information, White would say Struve has some soul searching to do regarding his future in fighting:
"I think it's something that he really needs to think about. Obviously, you meet some of these guys that love to compete so much that they'll overlook certain things. I think tonight showed that he's not one of those guys. He started to black out and he started to have a panic attack like there was something wrong with his heart again -- I THINK. Again, this is all just what I've heard. But I think that he needs to do some soul searching. He's a super talented guy. He's a great guy, we love the guy, and I don't know. We'll see from here."
Later, MMAFighting.com would catch up with Struve to get a clearer picture on exactly what happened.
From the man himself:
"Tonight, during my warm up prior to my scheduled fight with Matt Mitrione at UFC 175, I began experiencing discomfort and anxiety. However, given my extended layoff as a result of my recent medical issues and the passing of my father, I dismissed my physical and emotional feelings as nothing more than nervousness. Unfortunately, as my warm up progressed, I collapsed in the locker room. After consulting the UFC and the doctors, the determination was made that in an abundance of caution I should not be allowed to compete."
Click here to read his full statement.
While this is an unfortunate situation for all involved, White did reveal that both Struve and Mitrione would be paid their show and win money despite not competing at UFC 175.
We wish Struve all the best as he figures out his medical situation.