Hardy wants to retire Diego Sanchez
Dan Hardy has said that he doesn’t expect to return to title contention, but has a few fights left in him, and knows exactly who he’d like to return against.
Dan Hardy hasn’t fought in the Octagon since September of 2012 due to an rare heart condition, but has is hoping to be cleared to compete. Hardy has said that he doesn’t expect to return to title contention, but has a few fights left in him, and knows exactly who he’d like to return against:
Diego Sanchez, because after Ross Pearson got robbed, that was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen, he said.
The selection doesn’t come without personal history for The Outlaw, who was a longtime training partner of Pearson’s at Team Rough House in Nottingham. A fight against Sanchez wouldn’t just be good for his career, but a little bit of payback, as well.
Ross Pearson won that fight clearly, and Diego accepted the win like he does…he’s as crazy as he is, Hardy said. I’m a huge Diego fan, but for me, he is what’s wrong with mixed martial arts right now. He is the 20th century bullheaded martial artist that walks forward and fights with their face, and now we’ve got guys like … Conor McGregor, we’ve got Gunnar Nelson; they’ve all got this very Machida-esque style where they’re very mobile; they can switch stances, and they can hit with power from anywhere.
I think Diego represents the old school, where you just walk forward in a boxing stance and see who falls over first.