Dan Hardy Provides Timetable For His UFC Return

Former UFC welterweight title contender Dan Hardy is still planning his return.

The long-awaited return of Hardy isn’t set although he has gone on record by stating in a recent interview with MMANytt reporter Sebastian Vendel-Martinez that he’s interested in accepting a fight that would see him compete this year at the UFC’s next show at Madison Square Garden.

Hardy was in attendance at Cage Warriors 93 in Gothenburg, Sweden this past weekend working as an analyst and was asked about his return to competition.

He noted that he was still interested in fighting one more time. As for the reason that his return has been delayed? It all comes down to his busy schedule.

“Honestly, I’m just incredibly busy, that’s the truth,” Hardy said. “I’ve not been able to put a consistent month of training together, or what I would consider to be a full month of training. I’m training five days a week, but not a the level where I can see where my body is that so I can test it.”

“I’m a lot closer to my weight than I used to be and I walk around at 82-kilos now,” Hardy added. “I need to do the four month USADA testing pool, and the likelihood is I got one more fight, so I’m in no  massive rush to get back into that. It’s a very intrusive program which I like as a fan, as an analyst and as a UFC member of the staff I like, but as a fighter, I don’t need people knocking on my door at five in the morning.

“I’ll do it for one fight and when the times right, but for me, the focus is getting my new gym setup with Jimi Wallhead and my academy. It will be a good home for my camp.”

If he does fight at the UFC’s event at MSG, then it would be in November based on the past two years with UFC 205 that was headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title in 2016 and Georges St-Pierre vs. Michael Bisping at UFC 217 last year for the middleweight title.

Hardy stated he’d love to be a part of their third event at the historic arena.

“I like Madison Square Garden, there’s a November card coming up, and there’s still time to get on that,” Hardy said. “If they came to me with the right fight, the right opponent, things could move in that direction. If not then next year.”