Struve cleared to put off career-ending heart surgery

Fight week always feels the same for Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Stefan Struve: the final sparring sessions, traveling to the city where he'll step in the cage, and the long wait before his walk into the arena.

But in another sense, there's nothing usual about his next mixed martial arts bout, a meeting in Las Vegas with Matt Mitrione (7-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 175 (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET). Just getting to the cage this weekend is an accomplishment that befits the 6-11 Dutchman's stature.

"It's a win in and of itself to be back," Struve (25-6, 9-4) tells USA TODAY Sports.

Eight months ago, Struve's MMA career was put on hold when doctors diagnosed him with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart condition that, in his case, went undetected for 25 years.

The condition, which occurs in one to two percent of the general population, results from a defect in the aortic value. Among its symptoms, it causes blood to leak back into the heart.

Prior to his diagnosis, Struve frequently felt exhausted in training camps and couldn't perform to the best of his abilities. He continued to fight. But in the days leading up to a contest, "The only thing I wanted to do was sleep," he says.

As it turned out, the heavyweight says his body was only getting 70 percent of the blood it needed. The rest was trapped, causing his heart to enlarge and elevating his blood pressure.

If the condition had gone untreated, the result might have been much worse.

"I could have had heart failure, which is something you really want to avoid," Struve deadpans.

Thanks to a modified workout regimen, dietary changes, and the blood pressure medication lisinopril, Struve got better. After eight months of close monitoring, doctors cleared him to compete.

Not long after, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversees UFC 175, gave him the go-ahead to fight, accepting a letter that certified his health. Struve will, however, be required to undergo another cardiovascular examination within six months in order to maintain eligibility to compete.

"The fact that he has a good performance on his stress tests, (and) the degree of leaking of the valve doesn't look as bad, that bodes well," says Dr. Scott Davis, a cardiologist who reviewed the NSAC's recommendation letter for USA TODAY Sports. "The flip side is there's nothing normal about the guy's aortic valve, and 26-year-olds just don't have leaky valves.

"Does it mean he's going to have a bad outcome in the ring? No. This just needs to be followed very closely."

Struve, who's ranked No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, says he's feeling more energetic than ever heading into his main-card bout, where he looks for his fifth win in six fights.

"I'm just as fit and healthy as every other fighter in the UFC," he says.

But the UFC's tallest competitor admits he isn't clear of future hurdles; as of now, his aorta still leaks blood into his heart. He could undergo corrective surgery to repair the leak, he says, but that would mean the end of his fighting career.

"We know it's getting better, but how long is my heart going to let me compete at this level? I'm not going to take risks with it," Struve says. "If (surgery is) the way we have to go, then that's the way we have to go.

"Right now, this makes me happy. But going in there knowing that something is not working properly ... that would make the fun go away, you know what I mean?"

For now, he's still in the fight. And while uncertainties linger, this time around, he's enjoying his ho-hum schedule a little more than usual.