UFC welterweight Dan Hardy will soon seek a second opinion on his heart condition that forced him out of UFC on Fox 7 and a fight against Matt Brown.
It was revealed a few weeks ago that Hardy would be unable to face Brown after doctors discovered that he was afflicted with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
The ailment that was discovered during a pre-fight echocardiogram is a disease that causes “an extra, abnormal electrical pathway in the heart that leads to periods of a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia),” according to the Mayo Clinic.
The danger of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is that “on occasion someone may show signs of dizziness, fainting or heart palpitations. In really bad cases, the whole heart loses its coordination and sudden death can occur” according to Dr. Jonathan Gelber, who recently penned a column about Hardy for FightMedicine.net.
Further testing by a cardiologist could potentially clear Hardy to return to action, so that’s what the UFC will do by supporting the British-born fighter in his hopes to get back into the fight game sooner rather than later.
“Lorenzo and I called him last week and he’s got some personal stuff going on right now with his family. We’re going to send him out to literally the best heart doctor in the country out in Los Angeles when he’s ready to go,” UFC president Dana White said about Hardy on Tuesday. “We’re going to get a second opinion and get him checked out.”
Hardy has expressed some doubts about his fighting future in several interviews, noting that one possible cure for his condition is surgery, which is something he will not opt to undergo. If that’s the only potential for the UFC to clear him to fight, Hardy isn’t sure he’d ever step back into the cage again.
Hardy’s manager Wad Alameddine spoke to Bleacher Report on Tuesday and said the decision about his fighter’s future really comes down to the UFC, but they are definitely stepping in to help him figure out options as he deals with this condition.
“Dan’s always been a valuable athlete for the UFC and has a great fan base and puts on some very exciting fights,” Alameddine said via email. “Right now he’s sitting on two good wins and his career is on the rise again, so why wouldn’t they do everything in their power to get him back inside the Octagon, right?”
Throughout his career, Hardy has never shown any signs of stress or symptoms related to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and up until his latest tests, the disease was never revealed. Still, the UFC will surely err on the side of caution before booking Hardy in another fight.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted.
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