UFC heavyweight Shane Del Rosario clings to life, possibly with rare heart condition

After collapsing and going into full cardiac arrest, UFC heavyweight Shane del Rosario remains in a Newport Beach, Calif. hospital, UFC officials and the fighter’s manager announced on Friday.

Del Rosario, a kickboxing and muay Thai vet who eventually fought his way to Strikeforce and the UFC after turning to MMA, has not regained consciousness since Tuesday’s episode.

According to an update the UFC and manager Jason House issued on Friday, doctors haven’t ruled out the possibility that the 30-year-old fighter is suffering from a heart ailment called long QT syndrome.

“After arriving at the emergency room in full cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning he was resuscitated to stable rhythm and blood pressure, but has not regained consciousness. Doctors believe he may suffer from a rare condition called Long QT Syndrome, which is a genetic anomaly that can cause a sudden and life threatening heart rhythm abnormality, and may result in sudden death. Tragically, it strikes healthy young people and often is the first and only presentation of a heart problem.”

Long QT syndrome, or LQTS, is inherited and can lead to sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation.

As MMAjunkie reported this past week, del Rosario (11-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was forced out of a UFC 168 fight against Guto Inocente (6-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) due to a rib injury. He’s been out of action for nearly a year due to injuries.

Del Rosario opened his MMA career with an 11-0 record, which included a 3-0 mark in Strikeforce. All 11 wins came via stoppage, including 10 in the first round. However, since moving to the UFC in 2012, he’s suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Stipe Miocic and Pat Barry.