Dan Hardy will retire from MMA sometime in 2014.
That’s according to an interview with the UFC welterweight published Saturday on the MMAjunkie.com blog:
I’m ready for a new challenge, I’ll be honest. There are a lot of things about this sport that I love, and a lot of things about this sport that I don’t like at all.
A native of Nottingham, England, Hardy (25-10-1, 6-4 UFC) is one of the UFC’s most popular fighters in Great Britain and beyond. “The Outlaw,” 30, is known inside the cage for his toughness and a heavy brawling style.
However, Hardy has long expressed interests away from fighting.
He’s a huge fan of punk, metal and hardcore music and is sponsored by Nottingham-based Earache Records. Could some kind of involvement with the music industry be in the offing?
It’s not too far fetched.
In fact, if you listen to Hardy’s entrance music—Cock Sparrer’s “England Belongs to Me”—you might notice it sounds a little different than the original. That’s because Hardy recorded a version himself with members of the band, with Hardy on vocals.
But Hardy also has displayed an interest in other things.
Following his Knockout of the Night-winning performance over Duane Ludwig at UFC 146, Hardy took a walkabout through South America, which he documented closely on Twitter and elsewhere. According to the MMAjunkie interview, Hardy also plans to go back to college.
Hardy added, though, that he’ll never completely walk away from the sport.
The thoughtful and loquacious Hardy could be a good fit in the broadcast booth or as a striking coach.
I’ll never be away from the gym for too long. I couldn’t walk away from it entirely. I just think there’s a time to review where you’re at and see what you want to do with the rest of your life.
Hardy is scheduled to fight fellow slugger Matt Brown on April 20 at UFC on Fox 7.
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