Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Sean O’Malley Did What? Plus Killer Finishes at KSW 76

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Sean O'Malley UFC
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 22: Sean O'Malley has his hands wrapped prior to his fight during the UFC 280 event at Etihad Arena on October 22, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)

Sean O’Malley took a needle to the junk because, reasons, while the Dan Hardy vs. Diego Sanchez boxing bout did not take place on Saturday as expected. Plus, some killer KSW finishes, and Dana White’s Power Slap is officially announced as airing on TBS. It’s your Sunday MMA Quick Hits!

Dan Hardy’s Boxing Debut Against Diego Sanchez Dropped from Card

Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy will not be returning to combat sports after all. At least, not as planned, and possibly not ever.

Hardy recently revealed that the fight had been dropped from Saturday’s Ricky Hatton vs. Marco Antonio Barrera card, which aired on Sky Sports in the UK. In fact, it was the move to Sky Sports which Hardy believes caused the fight to be cancelled.

“So, basically the card was picked up by Sky Sports,” Hardy told Submission Radio recently (h/t MMA Mania). “And they decided that they wanted the Hatton vs. Barrera [undercard] fights off the card and to add all the rest of their own fights to it. Cause obviously they got a deal with Boxer and they’ve got loads of fighters signed to their management team.

“So yeah, they basically just took the Hatton vs. Barrera fight and they canceled the rest of the fights,” he continued. “I’ve had a bit of a chat with Diego about it. Of course, he was disappointed as well, but you know, it’s the fight game. It’s chaotic at the moment, and with new promoters getting into the businesses, I think sometimes they buy themselves a bit more than they can chew, and I think that’s what happened. I hope it goes really well. But, aside from following Ricky Hatton’s Instagram, I’m not really hearing anything about it.”

A former UFC welterweight title challenger, Hardy last competed in 2012, when he defeated Amir Sadollah via decision that September. He has not competed in any form of combat sports since. Having been diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, Hardy was eventually cleared to return to competition in 2018. Instead, he focused on a broadcast career, but had a falling out with the UFC last year following an argument with a female UFC employee.

The fallout from that dispute saw Hardy released from his fight contract with the promotion — which opened the door to other promotions, including the planned boxing gig. It seems, however, that Hardy may simply walk away from actively competing for good.

“My Mum said it kind of feels like the universe is kind of telling you something here — maybe it is,” he said. “Maybe I’m just clinging onto something. But to be honest, I’m still feeling great, I still feel in good condition, my mind’s sharp, and there are a couple of options for the new year. Yeah, there’s a couple of options, couple of people’s names I’ve got in mind.”

Power Slap launch officially announced, White says he’s been working on sport since 2017

There’s no question that Dana White made a smart decision when he convinced the Fertitta brothers to scoop up the then-struggling UFC in 2001, for a cool $2 million USD. Another smart decision came in 2005 with the launch of The Ultimate Fighter, saving the promotion when it was on the brink of bankruptcy. The UFC is now a $4 billion dollar enterprise and the leading promotion in MMA. White deserves a lot of the credit.

Being honest, Power Slap is unlikely to yield similar results. Dana White has got behind the sport of “slap fighting,” in which participants wind up and slap one another in the fact, undefended.

It’s dumb. It’s a concussion waiting to happen. It’s somehow been regulated, however, and this past week, the UFC announced that Power Slap would run an eight-episode series of events on TBS starting in early 2023.

“I’m very excited for the launch of Power Slap,” Dana White was quoted as saying in a press release this past Friday. “I’ve been working on this since 2017. I saw some footage of slap fighting on social media and I was instantly hooked.  From the first day I saw it, I felt like this could be big. I knew what needed to be done to make it a real sport just like we did with MMA. We got it sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) with defined rules, rankings and weight classes. Power Slap is built for the modern sports fan.”

Sean O’Malley Gets Penile Stem Cell Injection

Welcome to sentences we never wanted to write. Sean O’Malley has always been a little off-beat, but getting stem cells injected into your penis (supposedly to increase girth) just sounds like a bad idea. A really, really bad idea, as any needle to the member should sound.

If you dare, watch the video below for more details.

Slick Submission Alert

KSW 76 on Saturday saw the first-ever Peruvian Necktie submission in the promotion, and it’s definitely worth checking out!

And a Killer Head Kick

The fun at KSW 76 didn’t stop there, as Artur Szczepaniak finished off Brian Hooi care of a head kick.

Mike Trizano was barred from wearing American flag cowboy hat at UFC 281 weigh-ins… on Veteran’s Day

File this under good intent gone awry… the UFC banned fighters from carrying flags after Russia invaded Ukraine. That was no doubt to avoid some hurt feelings, as a large number of Russians are under contract to the UFC, and a smaller number of Ukrainian fighters as well.

Out of sight, out of mind, right? A large number of people prefer their sports, and MMA, without a side of politics anyway.

Banning an American flag hat on Veteran’s Day, however, was an unintended side effect that swept up UFC 281 winner Mike Trinzano on weigh-in day. The TUF 27 winner has worn the hat before, but this time out — on a day to remember American troops, of all things — it was a no-go.

Valerie Loureda comments on in-ring debut for WWE

It’s been a year since what appears to have been her final Bellator MMA fight, and on Saturday, Valerie Loureda made her debut for WWE. After the match, she posted an emotional video celebrating the start of her new journey.

“I love what I do, and I was born to do it,” Loureda states in the clip.

Moicano Wants Money!

In what may have been the GOAT of post-fight interviews, Renato Moicano referred to himself in third person at UFC 281, dropped more F-bombs than a George Carlin routine, kept the ESPN censors busy, and made sure to tell Joe Rogan that he wants money.

Here’s just part of it:

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