Dan Hardy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dan Hardy
Dan Hardy at the UFC 146 Weigh-ins
Born	Daniel Mark Hardy (1982-05-17) 17 May 1982 (age 43) Nottingham, England
Other names	The Outlaw
Residence	Nottingham, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Division	Welterweight
Reach	74.0 in (188 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Nottingham, England
Team	Hardy-Wallhead MMA
Rank	Black belt in Taekwondo Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	2004–2012 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	36
Wins	25
By knockout	14
By submission	2
By decision	9
Losses	10
By knockout	1
By submission	4
By decision	4
By disqualification	1
No contests	1
Other information
University	Nottingham Trent University
last updated on: 3 August 2011

Daniel Mark Hardy (born on May 17, 1982) is an English former mixed martial artist. He competed in the welterweight division. His professional MMA career started in 2004. Hardy fought in various organizations like Cage Force and Cage Warriors. In 2008, he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In 2010, he challenged Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship. He lost that fight by decision.

About Dan Hardy

Dan Hardy was born in Nottingham, England. He started learning martial arts at age 5. His first training was in taekwondo, and he began competing at age 7. As a teenager, he practiced other martial arts. These included karate, jujutsu, judo, and wushu. At 19, he started muay Thai and boxing. A year later, he moved into mixed martial arts. His nickname, "The Outlaw," came from his online name. He used it to find new training partners after a disagreement with a coach.

Fighting in the UFC

Dan Hardy made his UFC debut at UFC 89 on October 18, 2008. He won against Akihiro Gono by a split decision. Hardy landed strong punches, making Gono's face swollen. Gono also hit Hardy with an illegal knee, which led to a point deduction. Hardy recovered and won the fight.

At UFC 95 on February 21, 2009, Hardy knocked out Rory Markham. This happened quickly, just over a minute into the first round. Markham had said Hardy had weak hands before the fight. After his win, Hardy asked the crowd, "No punching power? What do you have to say about that?"

Hardy then faced Marcus Davis at UFC 99 on June 13, 2009. There was a lot of rivalry between them. Davis was an American fighter who had beaten many UK fighters. Hardy felt it was his job to defend his home turf. He won the fight by split decision.

On November 14, 2009, at UFC 105, Hardy fought Mike Swick. Hardy was not expected to win this fight. However, he surprised Swick early in the first round with a strong punch. Hardy won by unanimous decision. This victory made him the top contender for the UFC Welterweight Championship. He was the first English fighter to get a title shot in the UFC.

Challenging for the Title

Hardy fought Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title. This big fight happened on March 27, 2010, at UFC 111. St-Pierre won the match by unanimous decision. After the fight, St-Pierre was surprised that Hardy never gave up. Hardy famously said, "....tap?...I don't know the meaning of tap."

After the Title Fight

Hardy faced Carlos Condit on October 16, 2010, at UFC 120. This fight was in his home country. Both fighters threw left hooks at the same time. Condit's punch dropped Hardy, leading to a knockout loss for Hardy. This was his first knockout loss.

Hardy then fought Anthony Johnson on March 26, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 24. Hardy lost this fight by unanimous decision.

On August 14, 2011, Hardy faced Chris Lytle at UFC on Versus 5. Hardy had changed his training for this fight. He moved to Las Vegas to improve his grappling skills. He lost the fight by a submission move called a guillotine choke in the third round. This fight was named Fight of the Night because it was so exciting. Even after four losses in a row, UFC President Lorenzo Fertitta said he would not cut Hardy. He admired Hardy's fighting spirit.

Hardy got his first win since 2009 on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. He defeated Duane Ludwig by first-round knockout. This earned him the Knockout of the Night award.

He then defeated Amir Sadollah by unanimous decision. This fight took place at UFC on Fuel TV 5 on September 29, 2012.

Hardy was scheduled to fight Matt Brown on April 20, 2013. However, he was diagnosed with a heart condition.

Heart Condition and Return to UFC

In 2013, Dan Hardy was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. This is a heart condition that affects the electrical signals in the heart. A common treatment is ablation, which fixes the electrical pathway. However, Hardy chose not to have this treatment. He said the condition had never caused him any problems. In October 2018, Hardy announced that doctors had cleared him to fight again.

During his time away from fighting, Hardy worked as a commentator for UFC events. He also became an analyst for Fox Sports. In August 2017, he joined Sky Sports as an analyst for the big boxing match between Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. In August 2019, Hardy shared that he was rejoining the USADA testing pool. This was a step towards being able to compete again. In 2021, Hardy mentioned he planned to return to professional MMA for one final fight in the UFC.

Working as a UFC Commentator

On July 26, 2020, while working as a commentator at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till, Dan Hardy had a disagreement with referee Herb Dean. Hardy felt that Dean stopped a fight too late. UFC president Dana White said he would not punish Hardy. However, he warned that confrontations with officials would not be allowed in the future.

In March 2021, news came out that Hardy was no longer working with the UFC. Hardy explained that it was a disagreement about a missed opportunity. In May 2021, Hardy also announced that his UFC fight contract had ended.

Personal Life

Dan Hardy enjoys punk, metal, and hardcore music. Some of his favorite bands include Earth Crisis, Madball, and Blood for Blood. His entrance song for fights is "England Belongs To Me" by the British band Cock Sparrer. He even recorded a version of the song with the band.

Hardy also has a strong interest in art. He used to carry a sketch pad with him almost every day until he was 22. He left his art and design degree at Nottingham Trent University in his final year. He did this to focus on his MMA career full-time. Hardy lives in England. He is an agnostic.

In 2015, Hardy was part of the Great Britain team. They competed in the first part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Dan Hardy married fellow 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
  • Cage Warriors Welterweight Champion (Two times)
• UFC.com Awards
  • • 2009: Ranked #6 Fighter of the Year
• CombatPress.com
  • 2019 Broadcast Analyst of the Year

Mixed Martial Arts Record

See also

In Spanish: Dan Hardy para niños

• List of male mixed martial artists