Dan Hardy has been noticeably absent from the UFC’s latest broadcasts, and according to the former welterweight title challenger and longtime commentator, this is no accident.
Following a report from The Wrestling Observer, Hardy on Twitter revealed that he is no longer working on the promotion after a “disagreement” with an employee.
According to the Observer, Hardy was fired from the UFC and from the UK’s broadcast partner, BT Sport, after he got into a “discussion” with the employee. Hardy, says the report, remains under contract as a fighter, although he is effectively retired due to previously reported heart disease.
Responding to a BJPenn.com story on the news, the 38-year-old Briton contested the characterization that his departure was due to his dismissal.
“I no longer work directly with the UFC,” wrote Hardy. “The ‘female’ part is irrelevant. It was a disagreement about a missed or denied opportunity, and I would love some answers, but I can’t get any. “
Somewhat misleading title here, @bjpenndotcom. It is also not entirely accurate.
I no longer work directly with the UFC. The ‘female’ part is irrelevant. It was a disagreement about a missed or denied opportunity, and I would love some answers, but I can’t get any. https://t.co/OWN3huP8Pe– Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 7, 2021
After his career was suspended indefinitely due to a serious heart condition, Hardy went on to comment and quickly moved on to become part of Team A’s promotion for events abroad. In addition, he was the star of several pieces of the shoulder schedule, breaking big UFC fights.
Last fall, Hardy made headlines when he faced longtime referee Herb Dean during a call at UFC Fight Island 3. Hardy shouted for Dean to stop the fight when Jai Herbert was knocked out by Francisco Trinaldo, and then the two had a heated voice. exchange that was captured on the camera. The UFC said it is investigating the incident.
Subsequently, Hardy and Dean released videos defending their actions at the event; Dean said the stoppage was fair, while Hardy said it represented a missed call pattern (Hardy’s video was later removed for violating YouTube’s terms of service).
“Herb needs to understand that there was a mistake here and that we have to take responsibility,” said Hardy. “It is just a learning opportunity and, if it is not used as a learning opportunity, we will all be losing, especially fighters and brain cells. … We need to raise awareness among some of these employees and also hold them accountable for situations like this, when they cannot take responsibility for themselves ”.
Last month, Hardy seemed to shift his focus from commenting to a comeback in the octagon, calling veteran Matt Brown, with whom he was scheduled to fight before his condition, known as Wolf Heart Syndrome, forcing him out of the fight. . Instead, Brown received a yellow card against Dhiego Lima, and Hardy defeated former title challenger Nick Diaz, who has not fought since 2015. Diaz’s fight has not yet materialized.