UFC welterweight Dan Hardy believed it was the California State Athletic Commission that refused to clear him to fight at UFC on FOX 7. But in truth, it was the UFC.

Reps for the CSAC told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) late Monday that UFC officials removed Hardy from the card before all of his medical paperwork was submitted for the event, which is set to take place April 20 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Notably missing was an electrocardiography (EKG) exam that, according to Hardy, revealed markers of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare heart disorder that sends extra electricity through the heart upon its second beat. In mild cases, it causes a rapid heart beat and heart palpitations, but in extreme cases can cause sudden cardiac arrest.

To date, Hardy (25-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC) said he hasn’t suffered any symptoms of the syndrome. He has fought 10 times inside the octagon.

CSAC administrator Shilo Wilson said she received Hardy’s physical, neurological exam and MRI. But on March 22, she received an email from the UFC that stated the fighter had been pulled from the card “due to medical injury.”

Hardy, 30, was scheduled to fight welterweight Matt Brown, who now meets Jordan Mein in the event’s first pay-per-view bout.

Hardy and his manager, Wad Alameddine, originally said that the commission had denied the fighter a spot on the fight card. And while most athletic commissions are likely to subject Hardy to additional scrutiny now that his condition is public, the CSAC isn’t outright dismissing Hardy as a potential licensee.

CSAC Executive Officer Andy Foster said the fighter’s experience lends credence to his ability to fight safely inside the octagon, though he cautioned that CSAC doctors ultimately will make the final determination. Nevertheless, he encouraged Hardy to apply if he wanted to fight in California.

“We’ll look at his medicals, and if he passes with our doctors, we’ll issue him a license,” Foster said.

If the UFC won’t book him, however, it may be a moot point. Hardy and Alameddine await word from the promotion on whether he’ll be able to continue his career. UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner wasn’t reachable on Monday and today was in transit to Sweden for the promotion’s UFC on FUEL TV 9 event in Stockholm.

“It’s ultimately the UFC’s decision, anyway, regardless of what the commission says,” Hardy said. “It doesn’t really change a great deal. But it does let me know where the decision has come from, which is interesting.

“I would expect the UFC to say that the surgery is required in order for me to continue fighting for them.”

Hardy said surgery was first presented as an option two weeks ago when he saw a Las Vegas-based cardiologist recommended by the UFC’s doctor, Jeff Davidson, who initially screened his EKG.

“They could schedule me for a surgery within the next couple of days after my appointment, and I could go in, and they could put tubes up the insides of my legs and into my neck and see if they could find the extra electrical impulse, and if they could fix it, then I’d be out for a week,” Hardy said. “Which immediately to me said, ‘So, you want me to have the surgery, and then take a week off and then train for a week, and fly out for the fight?’ It just didn’t make sense. It wouldn’t have happened.”

Hardy also worried about suffering medical complications in training after surgery, not to mention being in less-than-peak condition for Brown.

“I’ve also got two incisions on the insides of my legs, and one in my neck,” he said. “Logically, it wouldn’t have made sense to have gone through that to make the fight, especially against a guy like Matt Brown. You’ve got to show up in your best condition, and having taken a week off to have a surgery would have been the worst idea at that point.”

As earlier reported, Hardy has decided against surgery.

“I’ve been in the trenches, and I’ve never had any problems,” he said. “I don’t see any reason why wouldn’t use me, but obviously, the decision is out of my hands.”





For more on UFC on FOX 7, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.