'I might have to recruit Joshua Fabia' - Dan Hardy talks about trying to get the UFC to release him

Dan Hardy has opened up about trying to get the UFC to release him. Addressing the issue, Dan Hardy jested that he’d perhaps have to recruit MMA coach Joshua Fabia to get out of his UFC contract. Hardy was referring to UFC veteran Diego Sanchez’s recent departure from the organization due to a series of events involving his coach Joshua Fabia.

Speaking to Submission Radio, Dan Hardy spoke about multiple topics. One of them was him revealing that he’s trying to get the UFC to release him from his fight contract. The UFC recently removed Hardy from his official commentary role.

Dan Hardy was allegedly in an argument with another UFC employee, which led to the UFC removing him from the commentary role.

Shedding light upon his current situation in the UFC, Hardy stated:

“The only thing that’s happened is I’ve asked two different people for my release from the UFC – Because obviously, with one contract coming to an end, it would make sense for me to leave with my fight contract as well. So, I’m currently trying to get my release from the UFC, so then I can start looking at other places. I’ve got a few ideas and a few options that I’d like to consider. But it’s just getting a hold of someone; I might have to recruit Joshua Fabia to get someone’s attention at some point.”

Additionally, Dan Hardy opined that the UFC wouldn’t match him up with a fellow veteran fighter but would rather book him to fight relatively unknown up-and-coming fighters. Hardy explained that the UFC would likely use him as a stepping stone for up-and-coming fighters.

Hardy continued:

“Cowboy (Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone), Matt Brown, you know, they would never in a million years give me the Nick Diaz fight. They would use Nick Diaz to build somebody else up. I just don’t want to be in that situation. Plus, my fight contract is, what, eight years old? So, you can imagine the numbers on it. It’s rather embarrassing.”

In a nutshell, Dan Hardy suggested that he'd like to compete in MMA organizations other than the UFC. Further updates on how Dan Hardy's fight contract situation with the UFC plays out are expected to unravel in the days to come.

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Dan Hardy is willing to fight in Japan and not only in the welterweight division but a few other divisions as well

Dan Hardy (left)

Upon being questioned about which places and organizations other than the UFC he’s considered competing in, Dan Hardy noted that he loves Japan. Hardy suggested that he likes the work that Rizin FF and ONE Championship are doing.

'The Outlaw' stated:

“As soon as that UFC door closed, so many other doors opened – And different options, not even just MMA. I’ve got other things that I would consider as well. The world’s much bigger than I actually realized, I think. So now, I start looking at these other organizations and different weight classes as well. I could jump into some of these at middleweight and light heavyweight and fancy my chances. We’ll see what happens.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

Dan Hardy’s last MMA fight took place back in 2012. In 2013, Hardy was coerced to retire from MMA due to a medical issue, namely Wolff–Parkinson–White Syndrome (WPWS).

Nevertheless, in 2018, Dan Hardy confirmed that he’s been declared medically eligible to fight again. He’s been trying to convince the UFC to book him in a comeback fight over the past few years, but no fight booking has come to fruition as of yet.