# Dan Hardy

Daniel Mark Hardy (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

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.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Hardy defeated Akihiro Gono via split decision in his UFC debut at UFC 89 on October 18, 2008. Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks. 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. 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." 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. 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. 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 Hardy was the underdog coming into the fight, but managed to rock Swick early in the first round with a straight right hand, which appeared to dent the American's confidence. 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.

### Title shot

Hardy fought Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title on 27 March 2010 at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey. St-Pierre won the bout via unanimous decision. 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."

### Post-title fight

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

### Medical condition

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. Eventually in October 2018 Hardy said in an interview that he has been medically cleared and eligible to return to fighting.
During his hiatus, Hardy served as a commentator for UFC's Fight Pass events, and works as an analyst on Fox Sports. In August 2017, Hardy joined Sky Sports as an analyst for Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. 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.
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.

### UFC commentator

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

## Personal life

Hardy is a fan of punk, metal and hardcore music. His favourite hardcore bands include Earth Crisis, Madball, and Blood for Blood. 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. 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. Hardy is an agnostic. In 2015, Hardy was part of the Great Britain team for the first leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Hardy married UFC fighter Veronica Macedo on December 25, 2022.

## Championships and achievements

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Knockout of the Night (One time)
** Fight Of The Night (One time)
* Cage Warriors Fighting Championship
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2009: Ranked #6 Fighter of the Year
** Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion (Two times)
* CombatPress.com
** 2019 Broadcast Analyst of the Year

## Mixed martial arts record

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 | 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 | |