Hardy blames US medical system for lack of license
“Every doctor is a salesman. Is that not a conflict of interest? A guy trying to sell you surgery is trying to make money off it. Why would he give you an honest opinion?”
Dan The Outlaw Hardy was required by the California State Athletic Commission to take an electrocardiogram, as part of his licensing to fight Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 7 last year. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which can lead to periods of accelerated heart beat.
A minor surgical procedure is required to correct the condition. However, Hardy, who has never experienced the symptoms associated with the condition like chest pain and breathing difficulties, does not want to be operated on. Further, his UK-based doctor told him he does not need it.
But without it, he cannot be licensed to fight in California, and the UFC is not inclined to go commission shopping looking for somewhere that would let him fight.
He has been hired by the UFC as a color commentator for events in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Although he proved to be compelling commentator, he still wants to fight, and he blames the US medical system for his absence from the Octagon.
The health-care system is a business in the US, Hardy told The National, a United Arab Emirates based news site. I never had any preconceived notions but it always surprised me that you can’t walk into a hospital in one of the most powerful countries in the world and get treatment.
It’s just the way the system is set up. Unfortunately, because it is a business, every doctor is a salesman. Is that not a conflict of interest? A guy trying to sell you surgery is trying to make money off it. Why would he give you an honest opinion?
Hardy has said he might for example fight under Muay Thai rules in Thailand, where medical requirements are less stringent than in North America, but as far as mixed martial arts goes, it is the UFC, or nothing.
I wouldn’t fight MMA for other organizations,” said Hardy. “As much as I love that we have others out there, I’ve become so accustomed to being a part of the UFC machine, it wouldn’t feel right. I wouldn’t have the same kind of passion to compete as I do here.