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Dan Hardy has opened up about his upcoming fight against fellow former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez. Hardy’s last MMA fight transpired in 2012. He later retired from professional fighting due to a heart condition but has recovered over the past few years.
A former UFC welterweight title challenger and fan-favorite knockout artist, Hardy is set to return to combat sports this year. In a recent appearance on his YouTube channel, Full Reptile, ‘The Outlaw’ put forth his take on why the fight against Sanchez makes sense:
“Diego and I have been on a bit of a collision course for a long while. I think it was back in like 2006 when we got a face-off when we were fighting in Holland. It’s always been on the cards. I mean, we’ve always been in the same weight class. He was slightly ahead of me in his UFC career."
Hardy further added:
"So, like, as I signed with the UFC, I was watching him fight the likes of Clay Guida at the Pearl at the Palms [Casino Resort]. I’ve got some good memories of Diego’s fights. You know what you’re going to get with him. He’s an animal. He comes to scrap every time.”
Additionally, Dan Hardy noted that their matchup will witness them engage in a “big-gloves boxing” showdown. He emphasized that they’re going to don 16-ounce gloves for their eight-round boxing match, adding that they can “beat the hell out of each other” and “have a lot of fun with it.”
Watch Hardy discuss his fight against Sanchez in the video below:
Tyron Woodley on turning down a potential fight against Dan Hardy
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley suffered back-to-back losses in his professional boxing bouts against YouTube megastar Jake Paul in 2021. Intriguingly, Dan Hardy was considerably vocal in his criticism of Woodley right after his first loss against Paul.
Hardy subsequently challenged Woodley to a boxing match and purportedly even signed a contract to fight ‘T-Wood’. However, Woodley revealed that he wasn’t interested in fighting Hardy.
'The Chosen One' suggested that the UK fighter’s greatest accomplishment was going the five-round distance in his fight against MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.
Prior to his rematch against Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley spoke to Submission Radio and said:
“He's not the best analyst. He wasn't the best fighter. Nobody really wears or cares about a colored mohawk anymore. And he is trying to piggyback off of me and clout chasing as a grown man."
Dan Hardy will face fellow fan-favorite fighter Diego Sanchez in an eight-round exhibition boxing bout. Their fight will take place on the undercard of the Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera boxing event on July 2.
Watch Woodley's full interview with Submission Radio:
