Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Former UFC welterweight title contender Dan Hardy names the opponent he wants for his Octagon return.
After a successful return from a three-year layoff at UFC 241, Nate Diaz has grown to be a much bigger superstar and fan-favorite. Rightfully, everyone wants a piece of him, including those who aren’t in the active roster.
Former UFC welterweight title contender Dan Hardy recently expressed his intent to face the younger Diaz upon his UFC return.
“Honestly, right now, the guy everyone wants to fight is Nate Diaz,” Hardy told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview (via The Body Lock MMA). “That’s the ideal pick.”
The 37-year-old Hardy is already confident about his chances, given the strategy he has in mind.
“Oh, I’d eat his lead leg up until he starts falling onto my punches and then I knock him out. Simple,” he said.
“The Outlaw” hasn’t fought since 2012, after he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart disorder. But in his recent appearance on the JRE MMA Show, he announced his plans to re-enter the USADA testing pool.
Diaz, meanwhile, is set to fight for the baddest motherf—r title against Jorge Masvidal. The two will headline UFC 244, the company’s annual Madison Square Garden Card set for November 2nd.