Video: Dan Hardy Eyes Donald Cerrone Among Other Lightweights For UFC Return
The last time Dan Hardy stepped inside the Octagon, he earned a unanimous decision victory over Amir Sadollah. That was almost three years ago. Hardy hasn’t seen action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) since Sept. 2012 due to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. “The Outlaw” has been serving as a commentator for numerous Fight Pass events.
That isn’t enough for Hardy, however. The former welterweight contender spoke with GNP1 to discuss his goals of making a return to competition:
“My plan is to get cleared at the end of the year to fight, but I wanna put myself through a full training camp first, so I know that I’m in good condition and can show the doctors that I’m in condition to fight as well. So I still have plans on getting cleared, I still would like to have a couple of more fights, but I’m taking my time and taking it day by day at the moment.”
Hardy doesn’t expect an easy contest if he makes a comeback. In fact, “The Outlaw” wouldn’t mind engaging in a duel with a “Cowboy,” who is set for a lightweight title opportunity:
“There are a lot of good fighters out there, particularly at the moment, it seems to be a wealth of strikers. Difficult to pick, really. Who would I like to fight? Well, people I respect, people that will give me a good fight, a good challenge. Obviously ‘Cowboy’ (Donald Cerrone) is very active at the moment, he’s been looking really good. He’s a great kickboxer, he’s got good ground game, he would be a real tough test for me. K.J. Noons, I never particularly vibed with that guy, but he’s an ex-pro boxer and he fancies himself as a bit of a striker, so that’d be a fun fight. Diego Sanchez, he’s injured at the moment, but I know me and him go back and forth. He calls me out from time to time.”
For now, Hardy will have to continue to fulfill his duties with John Gooden commentating UFC Fight Night 69 this Saturday (June 20, 2015).
