Getty (L-R) Georges St-Pierre, Dana White & Dan Hardy
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy recently revealed that his combat sports comeback was off. And it’s unclear if he’ll make another attempt at returning to fighting.
Hardy, who last fought in 2012 under the UFC banner, was scheduled to box “The Ultimate Fighter” season one middleweight winner Diego Sanchez at the AO Arena in Manchester, England on November 12. However, “The Outlaw” revealed to Submission Radio that the exhibition bout was canceled by Sky Sports, the network that will air the event.
The English boxing card is headlined by UK great Ricky Hatton and Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera. And according to Hardy, Sky Sports elected to dismantle the original undercard matches and in place, slot in bouts of their own choosing.
“Yeah, so basically the card was picked up by Sky Sports and they decided that they wanted the Hatton/Barrera fights off the card and to add all the rest of their own fights to it,” Hardy said (h/t MMA Fighting/Denis Shkuratov). “‘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/Barrera fight and they cancelled the rest of the fights.
“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.”
Hardy May Not Return to Fighting Now That His Return Has Been Canceled
Hardy and Sanchez were originally supposed to box in July, however the event was moved to November. And now that their boxing match has been canceled, it’s unclear if Hardy will make his comeback at all.
But, The Outlaw did leave the door open to returning next year.
“My mum said it kind of feels like the universe is kind of telling you something here,” The Outlaw said. “Maybe it is. 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.
“But to be honest, I’m just kind of going with what comes to me at the moment. I’m so busy with the YouTube channel, with the new project that’s coming up in the new year. That’s gonna be incredible. That might give me an opportunity to compete again as well in mixed martial arts.
“I’m taking things in stride a bit more. I’ve had so many curve balls these last six months. It’s been a bit of stressful ride. But I’m sitting here today in front of you with a smile on my face, and I’m feeling very positive about the new year. Very, very positive.”
It’s Been 10 Years Since The Outlaw Fought Last
Hardy last fought in 2012 when he bested Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision at UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic. However, the Manchester native was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome in 2013, something that kept him sidelined for years.
He received medical clearance to fight in 2018 but has yet to make a return. And at 40 years old, the 25-10 professional mixed martial artist likely only has a small window left should he want to battle again.