UFC Veteran Falcao Suffers Heart Attack

[keithlewis]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-Ve ... -ICU-37445


UFC veteran and recent Bellator middleweight signing Maiquel Falcao suffered a heart attack this past Sunday, while relaxing in his home in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Falcao's manager, Marcelo Brigadeiro, confirmed the news to Sherdog.com on Tuesday.

Brigadeiro said his client has been hospitalized at Holy House of Mercy's intensive care unit in Pelotas since Sunday. Falcao is presently awaiting cardiac catheterization and an angiogram for further diagnosis.

“His wife told me he suddenly suffered from a huge pain in the chest, and when they got into the hospital the doctors concluded he had a myocardial infarction,” Brigadeiro explained. “The procedure is expected to happen late this Wednesday. If Falcao didn't go to the hospital as fast as he did, he would have died.”

According to Brigadeiro, the 30-year-old Falcao has never suffered from any health issues, but did note that there is a history of cerebral ischemia in the fighter's family. The manager is worried, but optimistic about his client's career.

“He is lucid, talking clearly, and recovering well”, he said. “The doctors gave him a good prognosis, but we need to see how he reacts after the surgery. His career is in check, for sure, but at this first moment, we're just focused on getting him healthy. After that, we will think about the rest of his career.”