Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy has reacted after Matt Brown accepted a June 19 fight with Dhiego Lima.
At the height of his career, Hardy was known as one of the most dangerous and entertaining welterweights on the UFC roster. Regrettably, Hardy has been kept out of action since 2012, when it was discovered that he has a rare but generally innocuous heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Today, the 38-year-old Hardy is once again clear to compete, and he’s been publicly considering his options in terms of opponents on social media.
One option he seemed to like was Brown.
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
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https://t.co/7uouNt9AiP pic.twitter.com/cMsRKChl9S
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) February 19, 2021
I like Dan Hardy but the likelihood of him actually doing this is slim to none and I don’t think it’s because he’s “scared” of me I just don’t think he actually wants to fight again. Prove me wrong Dan ball is in your court! https://t.co/llZY3ALYHy
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) February 26, 2021
I’m not going to post up my message to the @UFC, but rest assured @IamTheImmortal, it’s been sent. There were two names in the message, and the first one was yours…
This fight deserves to be in front of a #London crowd. It will take the roof off. https://t.co/tuRfEj21uh
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) February 26, 2021
On Monday, it was revealed that Brown had accepted a fight with Lima, leaving Hardy without a dance partner for his anticipated return to the cage.
Hardy reacted to the news that Brown has accepted another matchup on Twitter, simultaneously calling out Nick Diaz.
https://twitter.com/danhardymma/status/1366703926930776068
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
“Still waiting on a call,” Hardy wrote in the first of two Tweets on the matter.
“So now that [Brown] is matched, I suppose I’ll jump to the next name on my list,” Hardy added. “Where’s Nicholas Diaz at? Any rules, any promotion, any arena. Back to fighting for respect again… My happy place.”
In his last fight, way back in 2012, Dan Hardy picked up a decision win over The Ultimate Fighter veteran Amir Sadollah. That win was preceded by a first-round knockout victory over fellow striking specialist Duane Ludwig. Those wins separated Hardy from a quartet of tough losses to Chris Lytle, Anthony Johnson, Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre—all top-flight foes.
Nick Diaz, meanwhile, has not fought since a 2015 No Contest with Anderson Silva, while Matt Brown came up short via decision in a fight with Carlos Condit earlier this year.
Who do you want to see Dan Hardy fight in his return to the Octagon?