It’s been nearly a year since Stefan Struve was suffering from a leaking aortic valve that would likely put his career to an end. This was 5 months after his incredible fight with Mark Hunt in Saitama, Japan, and he was blindsided by the news, “how could this be?” After all, he was only 26-years-old, in great shape and had a solid career ahead of him. He was Stefan Struve!
But athletic careers are fleeting, and Struve was told it was over.
The Dutch fighter refused to believe it, and with treatment, his lost year away from the Octagon has a light at the end of the tunnel. He told USA Today:
“I left a year behind me that was the most difficult year of my life, but now I’m here. I’m back, and I want to fight,”
“I want to show that I’m one of the best heavyweights in the world. I really feel like I’ve got another shot at all of this and I’m better than I’ve ever been.”