Dan Hardy hoping for a 2015 return to fighting at LW. Says he would finish irritating Diego Sanchez. Sidelined since being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome in 2012, UFC welterweight turned commentator Dan Hardy plans to return to fighting in 2015. Im looking at getting cleared the beginning of next year, Hardy told MMAnytt. Ive spoken to a few doctors and its looking positive. I dont see a reason why I wouldnt get cleared to fight, so now, really, its just about getting back into training camp. Getting back into the groove of preparing for a fight. Training every day, Hardy says his new physique more closely resembles the one he enjoyed prior to joining the UFC in 2008. When I was fighting at 170 [pounds] I was walking around 215, said Hardy. Although I was a big, strong athlete in the weight class I was never as quick and agile as I used to be. That was my fighting style. Im not a power puncher. My skill is speed, being a technician and just being better than my opponent. I feel like when I joined the UFC I got away from that. Frustrated by the two-year layoff due to the rare heart disorder, Hardy wants two to three more fights before shifting his focus entirely to commentating. My natural weight has leveled out to about 178, said Hardy. Even if I go back to fight at welterweight I wouldnt be a great deal bigger than I am now. I think lightweight would be a great challenge for me. I think there are a lot of good fighters at that weight class, a lot of good kick boxers so I could have some good fights. One man Hardy has already set his sights on is Diego Sanchez. Scoring just a pair of controversial split decision wins over Takanori Gomi and Ross Pearson, Sanchez claims a shaky 2-3 record dating back to 2012. Hes always kind of irritated me, Hardy said of Sanchez. I like Diego, I respect him and I forgive him for his strangeness, but in my opinion hes kind of the problem with mixed martial arts. He started off as a really good fighter and hes just slowly gotten worse throughout his career. That is the opposite to how martial artists should develop. Hes discarded technique, hes discarded logic and intelligence and hes gone with hard-headedness and blocking punches with his face. That is not a good example for future mixed martial artists. I just feel like, particularly with my fighting style and how its developing the last couple of years, I think that I could really expose him and hopefully teach him something about the martial arts and where hes gone wrong. If the booking should ever happen, Hardy isnt worried about ending up on the business end of another infamous Sanchez decision. I wouldnt need 15 minutes. Im sure of that. mmafighting/2014/10/8/6943673/morning-report-ufc-dan-hardy-diego-sanchez-dana-white-conor-mcgregor-georges-st-pierre-mma-news
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 13:07:20 +0000
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