"He doesn't understand the mentality of a fighter" - Dan Hardy frustrated with Dana White's reluctance to give him another UFC fight

Dan Hardy is frustrated with UFC president Dana White's hesitation to accept his wish to return to the Octagon almost a decade after his retirement.

Dan Hardy had a shot at the UFC welterweight title against Georges St-Pierre in 2010. He was then forced to step away from fighting after detecting a heart problem, retiring in 2012.

The 38-year-old, who continues his devotion to mixed martial arts by commentating, announced that he wants to fight in the UFC again. Dan Hardy explained the struggle in convincing White in a recent interview with RT Sport.

"Obviously, Dana [White] has been involved in combat sports a long time, but he has never stepped foot on the octagon as a competitor, and I don't think he... as much as he understands the fighters, he doesn't understand the mentality of a fighter when it comes to our perspective of ourselves and what we believe of ourselves and what we think we're capable of," Dan Hardy said.

"Dana always has spoken to me like, 'well, your MMA career was to set you up for this job, and this is your job now. So why would you want to go back and fight because you've fought to the point where you've got the job that you want.' And I'm like, 'Yes, I have.' I love being an analyst and a commentator, but at the same time, I'm a martial artist. I've been a martial artist since I was six. I've been a commentator for the last seven years. It's like, my life is martial arts. My job is commentary. And I've been neglecting my true nature if I wasn't to try and step back in there and compete again," he concluded.

If it’s going to happen, I need it to be someone worthwhile... I’m not doing all of this preparation to fight some bum. I need names and faces... ☠️#LineThemUp☠️

— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) February 18, 2021

Dan Hardy was recently involved in a polemic when he was accused of having an undisclosed incident with a female UFC employee on Fight Island. He has reportedly been released from his role as a commentator for the UFC and BT Sport.

Dana White thinks Dan Hardy is crazy

Dan Hardy has also stated that UFC president Dana White thinks he is crazy for wanting to fight again.

"[Dana White] shouldn't be surprised that I still want to fight. I've spoken to him about three or four times about it, and he just doesn't seem to want to entertain the idea of it. So, now I've decided to go the social media route and cause a bit of a stir in that way. And the names I'm calling out obviously add to the excitement as well."

In addition to being linked by fans with a possible rematch with Carlos Condit, Dan Hardy has called out Matt Brown and, most recently, Nick Diaz.

So now @IamTheImmortal is matched, I suppose I’ll jump to the next name on my list. Where’s Nicholas Diaz at?Any rules, any promotion, any arena. Back to fighting for respect again... My happy place.

— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 2, 2021