2 Years After Public Beef With Dana White Forced His UFC Exit, 41-Year-Old MMA Veteran Makes Stunning U-Turn With Massive Comeback Plans

Published 07/21/2023, 6:22 AM EDT

Despite his controversial UFC exit, Dan Hardy remains one of the respectable analysts in the business. But before the Englishman’s time behind the microphone, he had a stint inside the MMA cage himself. Something which the long-time fans could recall very well. But just before his 2013 faceoff with Matt Brown, the Nottingham native announced his retirement from the sport.

This was shocking, considering Hardy was then on a 2-fight win streak. The martial artist soon made his UFC comeback, this time as a commentator. Once again parting ways with the promotion in 2020, following a public beef with Dana White. But despite a decade-long absence from the sport, it seems like the hard hitter isn’t done yet.

Dan Hardy teases a comeback to MMA

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Recently, Dan Hardy was seen at EMMAA’s Four Nations Championship. For those unaware, the event is annually organized by the English Mixed Martial Arts Association to pit the best fighters from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales against each other. During his time there, the Englishman had a small interview with CombatSportsUK.

During this conversation, the fighter teased his comeback to the sport, this time with the PFL. If Hardy is to be believed, he has been getting calls regarding a proposed bout with a former UFC champion, something the fighter seems confident to triumph in.

In his own words: “You know, we’ve got a big Ngannou pay-per-view coming up in the first quarter of the year. Um, don’t be surprised if you see me on there, beating off a former UFC champion.”

This is surprising, considering his last MMA fight came way back in 2012. For those wondering, ‘The Outlaw’ entered the UFC as one of the most promising prospects from the islands. In no time, the former Cage Warriors FC welterweight champion climbed up the ranks with four straight wins. Riding on this streak, he soon found himself a title shot.

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However, his hype train would soon get derailed by Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111. Following this loss, he would go on to fight four more times but would ultimately retire in 2013 following a diagnosis with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome.

Who is Dan Hardy’s unnamed rival?

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While there are no official words yet, the unanimous rival of Dan Hardy might be Anthony Pettis. The reason for these speculations is the history between the two fighters. In the past, the two have called each other out on many occasions. Hardy even predicted a ‘clean finish’ for his American rival.

Additionally, Pettis is also the only former UFC champion currently active in PFL’s roster other than Francis Ngannou. Coming off a successful pro boxing debut against Roy Jones Jr., ‘Highlight’ recently expressed his intentions to compete in the welterweight division of MMA, the same division Dan Hardy competes in.

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What do you think of Dan Hardy returning to competition? Would you like to see him finally fight Pettis? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Aditya Vaibhav is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. He discovered MMA in the year 2009 after watching Chuck Liddell on Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior, at the age of 10. A follower of combat sports, Aditya uses writing as a medium to actively participate in the domain he is so passionate about.

Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen

2 Years After Public Beef With Dana White Forced His UFC Exit, 41-Year-Old MMA Veteran Makes Stunning U-Turn With Massive Comeback Plans

Dan Hardy teases a comeback to MMA

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Who is Dan Hardy’s unnamed rival?