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Stefan Struve diagnosed with heart condition

Cagewriter

UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve last fought in March, and would likely be scheduled for his next fight by now. However, news about Struve's health has overridden any fight priorities. Struve was diagnosed with a leaky aortic valve and an enlarged heart.

Struve is out of the hospital and back to doing light conditioning, but he won't be able to fight until the problem is taken care of. It will be treated with medication for two months, and then doctors will reassess Struve's health.

Struve released this statement through his manager:

Stefan loves the UFC and plans on being involved with the company as a fighter and ambassador for years to come. Stefan wants to thank all the fans who have supported him thus far in his career as well as the UFC, Dana White, Lorenzo Fertita, Joe Silva, Dr. Jeff Davidson, the entire staff of the UFC, and his fellow fighters for affording him the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage of the sport of MMA, as well as a tremendous degree of support during this trying time. In particular Stefan wants to thank Dana White, Lorenzo Fertita, & Joe Silva for immediately getting engaged with this issue and providing Stefan access to the best possible medical care. Stefan will be sharing his experiences as he deals with this medical condition in the hopes that he can serve as a role model by helping to create awareness and inspire others to fight through adversity.

He also tweeted his thanks:

Struve is 25-6 on his career, and was riding a four-fight winning streak before losing to Mark Hunt in March.