UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve (25-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday night when he meets Matt Mitrione (7-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on the UFC 175 main card.

The 7-foot Dutchman has been out of action since March of 2013, this after being diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged heart.

At one point during his recovery, UFC President Dana White stated that he thought Struve’s UFC career was all but over. However, Struve proved the doubters wrong and is now set to make his remarkable return this weekend in Las Vegas:

“I can’t wait to get back in there healthy and show how good I really am because in my opinion, I should not have lost that last fight (Against Mark Hunt). I should have been on a five-fight win streak now. I want to pick up where I left when I beat (Stipe) Miocic. I want to continue my streak. Really in my opinion, I should be able walk through everybody up until the top five and I should be able to be competitive in the top five and win fights there, too. My best years are coming up. I’ve been in the UFC since my early 20’s so far, and heavyweights don’t peak until they’re 30 or in their 30’s so my best years are coming up.” Struve said in a recent interview with BloodyElbow.com.

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