Dan Hardy no longer ‘works directly’ with UFC after ‘disagreement’ with employee

Dan Hardy has been conspicuously absent from recent UFC broadcasts, and according to the former welterweight title challenger and longtime commentator, it’s no accident.

Following a report from The Wrestling Observer, Hardy on Twitter revealed that he no longer works with the promotion after a “disagreement” with an employee.

According to the Observer, Hardy was fired by UFC and UK broadcast partner BT Sport after having an “argument” with the employee. Hardy, according to the report, remains under contract as a fighter, although he is effectively retired due to previously revealed heart disease.

Responding to a BJPenn.com story on the news, the 38-year-old Briton took issue with the qualification that his departure was due to a layoff.

“I don’t work directly with the UFC anymore,” Hardy wrote. “The ‘female’ part doesn’t matter. It was a disagreement about a missed or denied opportunity, and I wish I had answers, but I can’t get any. “

After his career was indefinitely put on hold due to serious heart issues, Hardy began commenting and quickly progressed as a part of the A-Team promotion for overseas events. Plus, he’s been the star of several pieces of shoulder lineup, smashing big UFC fights.

Last fall, Hardy made headlines when he clashed with longtime referee Herb Dean on a call to UFC Fight Island 3. Hardy yelled at Dean to stop the fight when Jai Herbert was knocked out by Francisco Trinaldo, and then the two had a heated speech. exchange that was filmed. The UFC said it was investigating the incident.

Subsequently, Hardy and Dean both posted videos defending their actions at the event; Dean said the stop was fair, while Hardy said it was a missed call pattern (Hardy’s video was later removed for violating YouTube’s terms of service).

“Herb needs to understand that a mistake has been made here, and that there must be responsibilities that need to be taken,” said Hardy. “It’s just a learning opportunity, and if it’s not seen as a learning opportunity, then we’re all losing, especially the fighters and the brain cells. … We need to educate some of these officials more, and we also need to hold them accountable for situations like this, when they can’t take it upon themselves to do so.

Last month, Hardy appeared to shift his focus from the comments to a return to the Octagon, calling out veteran Matt Brown, whom he had to fight before his condition, known as wolf heart syndrome, took hold. forces them to quit the fight. Brown was instead booked against Dhiego Lima, and Hardy switched to title challenger Nick Diaz, who hasn’t fought since 2015. The fight against Diaz has yet to materialize.