Stefan Struve out of UFC 175 vs. Matt Mitrione after fainting pre-fight

LAS VEGAS – Stefan Struve‘s comeback from a heart ailment remains on hold after the heavyweight fighter fainted prior to his Saturday fight against Matt Mitrione.

UFC officials confirmed the news with MMAjunkie just after the start of Saturday’s UFC 175 main card at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The Struve-Mitrione fight was scheduled to be the third on the pay-per-view main card, just prior to a pair of title fights.

UFC President Dana White told media members on Press Row that Struve passed out in the locker room and had an elevated heart rate. “They thought it was a panic attack, and they hooked him up to the machine,” White said, “but they’re taking him to do more tests.”

Struve (25-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was cleared by doctors in April to return to action following a heart ailment that kept him sidelined following a March 2013 loss to Mark Hunt in Japan.

Struve, a 26-year-old Dutchman, was http://mmajunkie.com/2013/08/ufc-heavyweight-stefan-struve-sidelined-indefinitely-with-heart-condition/”>diagnosed in August 2013 with a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart. Doctors first recommended medicine to bring down his blood pressure in hopes of finding a less invasive fix than surgery for the 7-footer.

But in April, Struve told MMAjunkie that the medication was working. Not long after, he got the UFC’s blessing to return and had the fight booked against Mitrione (7-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

Stay tuned to MMAjunkie for more on this story as it develops.

For complete coverage of UFC 175, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.