Last night’s UFC 175 main card heavyweight fight between Stefan Struve and Matt Mitrione was cancelled while the show was already underway after the ‘Skyscraper’ passed out backstage.
For any fighter that would be a cause for concern, but it was moreso in Struve’s case since he was returning to the Octagon for the first time since being diagnosed with a heart condition last year.
Luckily Struve appears to be ok, but a wise decision was swiftly made to cancel the fight, and later all the parties concerned offered up their thoughts on the matter.
“Tonight, during my warm up prior to my scheduled fight with Matt Mitrione at UFC 175, I began experiencing discomfort and anxiety,” Struve said in a statement to MMAfighting.com. “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.
“…I will take some time to myself to evaluate my health and career. Thank you for your support and understanding.”
Struve’s opponent Mitrione also gave his reaction to the fight being cancelled and made it clear he was in full agreement with the doctor’s decision.
“I’m so glad it didn’t happen out there,” Mitrione said. “That’s like my primary thought. That could’ve gotten so much worse and so much quicker. As a sport, I think we really dodged a bullet for sure.”
Meanwhile, UFC president Dana white admitted that Struve now had some “soul searching to do” regarding his future, but in the mean time he was just glad he was okay and said that both Struve and Mitrione would be paid both their basic salary and their win bonus.
