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Dan Hardy

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For other persons with similar names, see Daniel Hardy (disambiguation).

Dan Hardy
Dan Hardy at the UFC 146 Weigh-ins
BornDaniel Mark Hardy[1]
(1982-05-17) 17 May 1982 (age 42)
Nottingham, England
Other namesThe Outlaw
ResidenceNottingham, England
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
DivisionWelterweight
Reach74.0 in (188 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofNottingham, England
TeamHardy-Wallhead MMA
RankBlack belt in Taekwondo
Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active2004–2012 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total36
Wins25
By knockout14
By submission2
By decision9
Losses10
By knockout1
By submission4
By decision4
By disqualification1
No contests1
Other information
UniversityNottingham Trent University
Websitehttp://www.danhardymma.co.uk/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: 3 August 2011

Daniel Mark Hardy[1] (born 17 May 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist who fought in the welterweight division. During his professional MMA career, which began in 2004, Hardy fought in multiple promotions, such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors, before signing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2008. In 2010, he fought Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship, but lost the bout via decision.

Biography

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Hardy was born in Nottingham, England, where he began martial arts training at the age of 5. Hardy's initial education was in taekwondo, and he later began competing at the age of 7. He started practising other martial arts as a teenager, which included karate, jujutsu, judo and eventually wushu. He began muay Thai and boxing at the age of 19. He then moved to mixed martial arts a year later. His nickname, "The Outlaw", comes from the screen name he used online when he was looking for training partners after a disagreement with a coach which led to his former training partners being forbidden to work with him.[2]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Hardy defeated Akihiro Gono via split decision in his UFC debut at UFC 89 on October 18, 2008.[3] Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks.[4] Gono rocked Hardy on several occasions. In the third round, Gono pushed Hardy to the canvas and while there, landed an illegal knee to the head of the downed fighter causing the fight to be stopped for a lengthy period and a point deduction for Gono. Hardy recovered and went on to win the split decision (29–28, 28–29, and 29–28).

Hardy knocked out Rory Markham at 1:09 of the first round on 21 February 2009 at UFC 95.[5][6] In his post-fight interview, Hardy retorted to Markham's pre-fight accusation that he had weak hands by exclaiming to the ecstatic crowd, "No punching power? What do you have to say about that?"

Hardy next faced Marcus Davis at UFC 99 on 13 June 2009. The grudge between the two began with the American Davis fighting in the UK against local fighters and defeating them all. Hardy stated that the UK was his home and began openly insulting Davis, calling him a 'fake Irishman' and stating that Davis's website "looked like a St. Patrick's day gift shop blew up."[7] Afterwards, on a UK underground MMA website, Hardy encouraged fans to post photoshopped pictures of Davis in a homosexual fashion. The pictures upset Davis, causing him to confront Hardy at a UFC 99 press conference. The two continued to argue, but finally agreed to settle it in the cage.[8] Hardy won the fight via split decision. Davis stormed out of the cage, ignoring Hardy's attempts to make peace. Davis later told reporters that he wanted a rematch with Hardy in Ireland or Boston, as well as stating how controversial he thought the decision was.[9] Hardy insisted in his post-fight interview with Davis (and after the event to fans) that all of the controversy was an effort to get Davis off his game-plan and that it was nothing personal.

On 14 November 2009 at UFC 105, he faced Mike Swick, who replaced an injured Dong Hyun Kim. At a press conference in Manchester[10] Hardy was the underdog coming into the fight,[11] but managed to rock Swick early in the first round with a straight right hand, which appeared to dent the American's confidence.[12] Hardy won the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28) and booked his place as the #1 contender for the UFC Welterweight Championship. In being awarded the title shot, Hardy became the first English fighter in UFC history to receive one. UFC President Dana White confirmed at the post-fight press conference that the fight would most likely be held in Las Vegas. Hardy stated in a post-fight interview with Sherdog.com that the next event in Las Vegas (UFC 109) in February was too early for him and he would rather wait.[13]

Title shot

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Hardy fought Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title on 27 March 2010 at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey.[14] St-Pierre won the bout via unanimous decision.[15][16] After the fight, St-Pierre stated his surprise that Hardy refused to tap. In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Hardy stated "....tap?...I don't know the meaning of tap."[17]

Post-title fight

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Hardy faced Carlos Condit on 16 October 2010 at UFC 120 in his home country. During an exchange late in the first round, both Hardy and Condit threw left hooks at the same time: Hardy's punch staggered Condit, although Condit's punch dropped Hardy.[18] Condit followed up with two more punches on the ground, causing the referee to stop the fight at 4:27 of the first round, giving Hardy his first KO loss.

Hardy faced Anthony Johnson on 26 March 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24. Hardy lost via unanimous decision.

Hardy faced Chris Lytle on 14 August 2011 at UFC on Versus 5.[19] Hardy stated that he had changed his training going into the fight, moving to Las Vegas to train at the Country Club with Roy Nelson to work on his grappling, particularly his wrestling defence/offence.[20] He lost the fight via guillotine choke late in the third round. The bout was awarded Fight of the Night honours. Despite losing four fights in a row, Lorenzo Fertitta quoted he would not cut Hardy from the UFC, stating: "I ain't cutting Dan Hardy. I love guys that war!".

Hardy faced Duane Ludwig on 26 May 2012 at UFC 146.[21] Hardy defeated Ludwig via first-round KO, earning him his first victory since 2009.

He defeated Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, and 30–27) at UFC on Fuel TV 5 on 29 September 2012.[22]

Hardy was expected to face Matt Brown on 20 April 2013 at UFC on Fox 7.[23] However, Hardy was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White pattern [24] and replaced by Jordan Mein.[25]

Medical condition

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In 2013, Hardy was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. A treatment for Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome is ablation, cauterising of heart tissue to fix the electrical pathway issue, however Hardy has refused to have this treatment on the basis that the condition has never actually given him any problems.[26] Eventually in October 2018 Hardy said in an interview that he has been medically cleared and eligible to return to fighting.[27]

During his hiatus, Hardy served as a commentator for UFC's Fight Pass events,[28] and works as an analyst on Fox Sports. In August 2017, Hardy joined Sky Sports as an analyst for Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor.[29][30][31] On 15 August 2019 Hardy appeared as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, revealing he is joining USADA testing pool in order to be eligible for competition.[32]

While on commentator duties for the second Polaris Squads event, Hardy revealed that he was planning to make his return to professional MMA for one final fight in the UFC at some point in 2021.[33]

UFC commentator

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While working as a commentator at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till on 26 July 2020, Dan Hardy was involved in a verbal confrontation with referee Herb Dean after Hardy took offence to what he believed to be a late stoppage by Dean in a bout between Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert. UFC president Dana White indicated afterwards that he would not take action against Hardy but that he would not tolerate any confrontations of officials in future.[34]

In March 2021, news surfaced that Hardy had been released from the UFC after he had been involved in another argument with a female UFC employee. Hardy disputed that he was terminated, however, and stated "I am no longer working directly with the UFC, ‘female’ part is irrelevant. It was a disagreement over an opportunity missed, or withheld, and I’d love some answers but can’t get any."[35]

In May 2021, Hardy announced that he had been released from his UFC fight contract.[36]

Personal life

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Hardy is a fan of punk, metal and hardcore music.[37] His favourite hardcore bands include Earth Crisis, Madball, and Blood for Blood.[38] His opening song is "England Belongs To Me" by the British Oi! band Cock Sparrer, and he and the band have recorded a version of the song together. He has a passion for art, rarely spending a day without a sketch pad in his bag until the age of 22. He gave up his degree in art and design in his final year at Nottingham Trent University to pursue MMA full-time.[39] Hardy lives in England. In recent years, he has also become an outspoken critic of trophy hunting on numerous occasions, even calling Matt Hughes "bad for the sport" due to his trophy-hunting in the States and abroad.[40][41] Hardy is an agnostic.[42] In 2015, Hardy was part of the Great Britain team for the first leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.[43]

Hardy married UFC fighter Veronica Macedo on December 25, 2022.[44]

Championships and achievements

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
36 matches 25 wins 10 losses
By knockout 14 1
By submission 2 4
By decision 9 4
By disqualification 0 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 25–10 (1) Amir Sadollah Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic 29 September 2012 3 5:00 Nottingham, England
Win 24–10 (1) Duane Ludwig KO (punch and elbows) UFC 146 26 May 2012 1 3:51 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Knockout of the Night.
Loss 23–10 (1) Chris Lytle Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle 14 August 2011 3 4:16 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 23–9 (1) Anthony Johnson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis 26 March 2011 3 5:00 Seattle, Washington, United States
Loss 23–8 (1) Carlos Condit KO (punch) UFC 120 16 October 2010 1 4:27 London, England
Loss 23–7 (1) Georges St-Pierre Decision (unanimous) UFC 111 27 March 2010 5 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States For the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 23–6 (1) Mike Swick Decision (unanimous) UFC 105 14 November 2009 3 5:00 Manchester, England UFC Welterweight title eliminator.
Win 22–6 (1) Marcus Davis Decision (split) UFC 99 13 June 2009 3 5:00 Cologne, Germany
Win 21–6 (1) Rory Markham KO (punch) UFC 95 21 February 2009 1 1:09 London, England
Win 20–6 (1) Akihiro Gono Decision (split) UFC 89 18 October 2008 3 5:00 Birmingham, England
Win 19–6 (1) Daniel Weichel TKO (elbows) Ultimate Force: Punishment 3 May 2008 2 1:49 Doncaster, England
Win 18–6 (1) Chad Reiner TKO (punches) CWFC: Enter the Rough House 6 19 April 2008 3 2:10 Nottingham, England Defended the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
Win 17–6 (1) Manuel Garcia TKO (submission to punches) CWFC: Enter The Rough House 5 8 December 2007 1 2:21 Nottingham, England Defended the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
Loss 16–6 (1) Yoshiyuki Yoshida DQ (groin kick) GCM: Cage Force 5 1 December 2007 2 0:04 Tokyo, Japan GCM welterweight final.
Win 16–5 (1) Hidetaka Monma TKO (corner stoppage) GCM: Cage Force 4 8 September 2007 3 0:29 Tokyo, Japan GCM welterweight semi-final.
Win 15–5 (1) Daizo Ishige Decision (unanimous) GCM: Cage Force EX Eastern Bound 27 May 2007 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan GCM welterweight quarter-final.
Win 14–5 (1) Willy Ni Submission (guillotine choke) CWFC: Enter The Rough House 2 28 April 2007 2 0:39 Nottingham, England Defended the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
Win 13–5 (1) Alexandre Izidro TKO (punches) CWFC: Enter The Rough House 9 December 2006 3 4:56 Nottingham, England Defended the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
Win 12–5 (1) Danny Rushton TKO (retirement) CWFC: Showdown 16 September 2006 1 5:00 Sheffield, England Defended the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
Loss 11–5 (1) David Baron Decision 2 Hot 2 Handle: Road to Japan 18 June 2006 2 3:00 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Loss 11–4 (1) Forrest Petz Decision (unanimous) Fightfest 2 14 April 2006 3 5:00 Canton, Ohio, United States
Win 11–3 (1) Diego Gonzalez TKO (doctor stoppage) CWFC: Strike Force 5 25 March 2006 3 0:19 Coventry, England Defended the Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
Win 10–3 (1) Matt Thorpe Decision (split) CWFC: Strike Force 4 26 November 2005 5 5:00 Coventry, England Won the vacant Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship.
NC 9–3 (1) Diego Gonzalez NC (overturned) CWFC: Strike Force 3 1 October 2005 2 1:19 Coventry, England Originally a submission (arm-triangle choke) win for Gonzalez; overturned due to punches to the back of the head.
Win 9–3 Sami Berik Decision (unanimous) CWFC: Quest 3 17 September 2005 3 5:00 Sheffield, England
Win 8–3 Lautaro Arborelo TKO (punches) CWFC: Strike Force 2 16 July 2005 3 3:52 Coventry, England
Win 7–3 Alexandre Izidro Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Warzone 24 June 2005 2 5:00 Sheffield, England
Win 6–3 Stuart Barrs TKO (punches) UK Storm 2 18 June 2005 2 2:44 Birmingham, England
Loss 5–3 David Baron Submission (triangle choke) CWFC: Strike Force 21 May 2005 2 3:10 Coventry, England
Win 5–2 Andy Walker TKO (punches) CWFC: Quest 1 8 April 2005 1 3:26 Yorkshire, England
Win 4–2 Lee Doski Submission (injury) Fight Club UK 1 29 January 2005 2 N/A Sheffield, England
Win 3–2 Aaron Barrow KO (head kick and punches) CWFC 9: Xtreme Xmas 18 December 2004 1 0:13 Sheffield, England
Loss 2–2 Pat Healy Submission (guillotine choke) Absolute Fighting Championships 10 30 October 2004 1 3:50 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Win 2–1 Andy Melia TKO (submission to punches) CWFC 8: Brutal Force 18 September 2004 2 3:55 Sheffield, England
Win 1–1 Paul Jenkins Decision (majority) Full Contact Fight Night 2 14 August 2004 3 5:00 Portsmouth, England
Loss 0–1 Lee Doski Submission (rear-naked choke) Extreme Brawl 7 6 June 2004 2 4:59 Bracknell, England

See also

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References and footnotes

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  1. ^ a b http://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf [permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ Hardy, Dan (2007). Part Reptile: UFC, MMA and Me. Headline. ISBN 978-1472243805.
  3. ^ "Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy". danhardymma.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  4. ^ "UFC 89 Play-by-Play". sherdog.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  5. ^ "Sanchez lays claim as force at 155 pounds, Hardy impressive at UFC 95". MMAjunkie.com. 21 February 2009. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Cagewriter". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Hardy's digs getting under Davis' skin". ESPN. 9 June 2009.
  8. ^ Davies, Gareth A (10 June 2009). "Dan Hardy's UFC clash with Marcus Davis set to produce fireworks". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009.
  9. ^ "Marcus Davis fuming over UFC 99 loss skin". 13 June 2009.
  10. ^ "Dan Hardy entertains at UFC 105 press conference". iFight365.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  11. ^ "Mike Swick Vs Dan Hardy Odds And Prediction". Best Bet UFC. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  12. ^ "'The Outlaw' Outguns Swick; Bisping Back on Track with Win over Kang". Archived from the original on 18 November 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  13. ^ "Hardy Eying Date with GSP". Sherdog. 14 November 2009.
  14. ^ "Penn Gunning for UFC Abu Dhabi Slot". Sherdog. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  15. ^ Knapp, Brian (28 March 2010). "St. Pierre handles Hardy for five rounds". ESPN. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  16. ^ "Hardy looks to test out skill on Condit at UFC 120 in London". TSN.ca. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  17. ^ http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/289688 [bare URL]
  18. ^ "The-UFC-in-the-United-Kingdom". sherdog.com. 3 November 2011.
  19. ^ "Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle set for UFC on Versus 5 main card". mmajunkie.com. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011.
  20. ^ "Motivated Dan Hardy ready to reignite faltering UFC career". ESPN. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  21. ^ "Dan Hardy vs Duane Ludwig booked for May 26 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  22. ^ "Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah Set For UFC Nottingham". yourmma.tv. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ Brett Okamoto (15 January 2013). "Matt Brown to face Dan Hardy". ESPN.
  24. ^ "Dan Hardy resisting 'pointless' heart surgery, seeks second opinion to expedite UFC return". mmamania.com. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  25. ^ Matt Erickson (22 March 2013). "Injury forces Dan Hardy off UFC on FOX 7; Jordan Mein now meets Matt Brown". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  26. ^ Sarah Feldberg (14 November 2013). "Dan Hardy heart condition". lasvegasweekly.com.
  27. ^ Anthony Walker (5 October 2018). "Dan Hardy Medically Cleared To Compete, Considering Return To Fighting". sherdog.com.
  28. ^ Dave Walsh (21 February 2014). "Dan Hardy to Commentate UFC Fight Pass Events". mmanuts.com. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  29. ^ "Carl Froch slammed for being 'biased' against Conor McGregor". The Independent. 27 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  30. ^ Barry, Coral (8 August 2017). "Sky Sports announce Mayweather-McGregor commentary team with Dan Hardy on board". Metro. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  31. ^ "Sky Sports announces Dan Hardy as part of Mayweather vs. McGregor commentary team". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  32. ^ Nolan King (19 August 2019). "Dan Hardy says he's re-entering USADA testing pool in hopes of UFC comeback". mmajunkie.com.
  33. ^ "Dan Hardy Reveals Plan for MMA Return 'Ideally Next Year'". 30 November 2020.
  34. ^ Dana White: Incidents like Dan Hardy vs. Herb Dean 'can never happen' in UFC again Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway, MMAjunkie.com (July 31, 2020)
  35. ^ Marrocco, Steven (7 March 2021). "Dan Hardy no longer 'working directly' with UFC after 'disagreement' with employee". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  36. ^ Martin, Damon (13 May 2021). "One-time welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy confirms his release from UFC fight contract". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  37. ^ "MuscleTalk Interviews Dan Hardy". muscletalk.co.uk. 10 August 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  38. ^ "Dan Hardy's twitter account". twitter.com. 19 April 2011.
  39. ^ Davies, Gareth A (11 February 2009). "Dan Hardy aims to weather Rory Markham's assault". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  40. ^ Hardy, Dan. "Dan Hardy Column: Fresh Approach Just What I Needed". Nottingham Post. Local World. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  41. ^ Helwani, Ariel (9 February 2013). "Dan Hardy talks retirement, says Matt Hughes is 'bad for the sport'". MMAfighting.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  42. ^ "Exclusive | UFC Artist Dan Hardy Talks Self Expression, Sadollah, Hughes, Critics and Religion | BJPENN.COM". Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  43. ^ "UFC Fighter to join Great Britain Team". Clipperroundtheworld. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  44. ^ "Veronica Macedo, ex-UFC title challenger Dan Hardy celebrate Christmas wedding". MMA Junkie. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  45. ^ Bryan Henderson (22 January 2020). "Combat Press 2019 MMA Awards: Other Awards". combatpress.com.
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