Former UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy has confirmed that he has been officially released from the UFC after requesting his dismissal.

Hardy earlier this week posted a Tweet that suggested he had been ‘freed’ from his UFC contract. On Thursday, “The Outlaw” confirmed with MMAFighting.com that he has indeed been officially let go by the UFC at his own request. Hardy said that he received his release letter on Tuesday, which means that he is now a free agent and free to sign with any promotion. He has already hinted that he could be in talks with RIZIN in Japan and has suggested that he could fight Nick Diaz there, though Diaz is still under UFC contract.

It is worth noting that Hardy was not able to fight in the UFC because of a heart condition he has called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Because of that, he hasn’t fought since September 2012, when he won a decision over Amir Sadollah. Despite not fighting for the past eight-plus years, Hardy has remained one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster and he has maintained a high profile with his podcast and with his duties on the UFC commentary team and with BT Sport, though he was later relieved of his UFC TV duties.

Hardy (25-10, 1 NC) made his UFC debut in 2008 and won the first four fights of his Octagon career before earning a title shot against former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in 2010. Hardy lost that fight by unanimous decision and then dropped three more fights in a row, including a notable welterweight loss to Anthony Johnson, but he rebounded at the end of his career with wins over Duane Ludwig and Sadollah. He was always in great fights and won a $65,000 bonus for his “Fight of the Night” against Chris Lytle in 2011. He also won a “Knockout of the Night” bonus for KOing Ludwig at UFC 146.

What was your favorite memory of “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy in the UFC?