(I know you all expect me to make a ‘The Hills Have Eyes‘ reference in this caption, but I’m not going to. Instead, I’ll just say that Stefan also had a hilarious cameo in ‘Weird Science.’ / Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports via MMAJunkie)
Last August, UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart — a condition that could have permanently ended his fighting career. But Struve refused to accept retirement as a possibility, and he’s been receiving treatment since then. Last month, Struve revealed that he’s been cleared to compete again, and UFC officials announced yesterday that “Skyscraper” will be taking on Matt Mitrione at UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida, July 5th in Las Vegas.
Struve last fought at UFC on Fuel TV 8: Silva vs. Stann in March 2013, where he suffered a gnarly jaw-breaking knockout loss against Mark Hunt. That defeat snapped an impressive four-fight win streak, capped off by a second-round TKO of Stipe Miocic. Mitrione most recently KO’d Shawn Jordan at the TUF China Finale, and will be looking for his first back-to-back wins since 2011.
UFC 175 is shaping up to be the most stacked card of the year. The current lineup is after the jump…
– Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida
– Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis
– Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
– Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve
– Uriah Hall vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
– Chris Camozzi vs. Bruno Santos
– Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. Luke Zachrich
– Ildemar Alcantara vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio