"Any rules, any promotion, any arena" - Dan Hardy calls out Nick Diaz for comeback bout

UFC legend Dan Hardy has decided to turn his attention towards Nick Diaz for his potential comeback fight with the promotion.

Many current fans will know Dan Hardy as one of the voices of the Ultimate Fighting Championship due to his commentary duties. He’s often put alongside John Gooden for events, with other hardcore supporters of his also following his analysis on YouTube and other social media platforms.

But those of a certain era will know him as the red-haired “Outlaw” from Nottingham, England.

Hardy climbed up the UFC’s welterweight rankings in style with four straight wins that took him to the doorstep of a shot at Georges St-Pierre’s UFC welterweight championship. Hardy showed a lot of heart in that fight but ultimately came up short, kickstarting a four-fight losing streak.

One more fight for Dan Hardy?

Dan did manage to bounce back with wins over Duane Ludwig and Amir Sadollah before ultimately having to step away from the sport after being diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome.

However, now that he’s cleared to fight again, fans want to know the answer to a straightforward question - who is he going to fight next?

If this tweet is to be believed, he wants it to be Nick Diaz.

So now @IamTheImmortal is matched, I suppose I’ll jump to the next name on my list. Where’s Nicholas Diaz at?Any rules, any promotion, any arena. Back to fighting for respect again... My happy place.

— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 2, 2021

Diaz himself last competed in January 2015 when he fought to what turned out to be a no-contest against Anderson Silva. The icon has been heavily linked with a return of some description on multiple occasions, but the right opportunity doesn’t appear to have presented itself.

Maybe a clash against someone like Dan Hardy would be enough to entice Diaz out of the self-imposed retirement he’s been in for the last six years. After all, both guys are well-known, they both have exciting fight styles, and they’re both happy to promote the bout in a way that will draw some eyes to the product.

Alas, it does feel as if there’s a feeling of disappointment from Hardy about Matt Brown being matched up to fight Dhiego Lima - although Brown previously noted that he felt as if Hardy was the one ducking the fight.

I like Dan Hardy but the likelihood of him actually doing this is slim to none and I don’t think it’s because he’s “scared” of me I just don’t think he actually wants to fight again. Prove me wrong Dan ball is in your court! https://t.co/llZY3ALYHy

— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) February 26, 2021

Whatever the case may be with Hardy and Diaz, you can bet UFC president Dana White would be eager to put this together.