UFC Sending Dan Hardy to Heart Specialist for Second Opinion on His Wolf Heart
UFC welterweight Dan Hardy was scheduled to face Matt Brown on April 20 on the UFC on Fox 7 fight card, but a prefight electrocardiogram revealed markers for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare heart disorder, so he was not allowed to fight.
Hardy will soon see a leading heart doctor recommended by the UFC to get a second opinion and further examinations.
“We talked to him. Lorenzo (Fertitta) and I called him last week and he’s got some personal stuff going on right now with his family, but 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,” said UFC president Dana White during a media conference call on Tuesday. “We’re going to get a second opinion and get him checked out.”
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or WPW syndrome, is the presence of an extra, abnormal electrical pathway in the heart that leads to periods of a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia), according to mayoclinic.com.
The extra electrical pathway of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is present at birth. People of all ages, including infants, can experience the symptoms related to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Episodes of a fast heartbeat often first occur when people are in their teens or early 20s.
In most cases, the episodes of fast heartbeats aren't life-threatening, but serious heart problems can occur. Treatments for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can stop or prevent episodes of fast heartbeats. A catheter-based procedure, known as ablation, can permanently correct the heart rhythm problems.
Hardy hasn’t experienced any symptoms of the disorder and doesn’t plan to have surgery to fix the condition.
Hardy (25-10) is currently on a two-fight winning streak. He last competed on Sept. 29, 2012, defeating The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah by unanimous decision. Jordan Mein stepped in to replace Hardy against Brown on the upcoming card in San Jose, Calif.
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