ONE Championship: Dan Hardy on John Wayne Parr cage Muay Thai return – ‘we’ll beat the hell out of each other’
- Verbal agreement for bout is already in place, according to ‘The Outlaw’, who has not fought since 2012
- Former UFC star anticipates a ‘perfect match-up’ against Australian Muay Thai legend
The return of Dan Hardy is inching closer by the day – but in cage Muay Thai, not MMA, and in Asian promotion ONE Championship.
“The Outlaw” (25-10, one no contest) was medically cleared to compete again by doctors in 2017, four years after his last outing in the UFC, having been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
But the 39-year-old Nottingham native would serve solely on commentary duties during the rest of his time with the US promotion, insisting he was not being offered the type of challenges he desired, before his release in May.
Now a free agent, Hardy responded to a tweet from ONE’s official account last month, asking which fighters CEO Chatri Sityodtong should sign. He replied, “Cage Muay Thai sounds fun,” setting off a chain reaction, with 45-year-old Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr showing interest in taking him on.
“John Wayne Parr is one of the best to ever do it,” Hardy told the Post. “If I’m stepping in to do something I want the stakes to be high. I want people to doubt me, I want the challenge to be great. That’s exactly what I get with John Wayne Parr. He’s a veteran of the game. One of the most well-respected martial artists on the planet. One of the most experienced.
“The only advantage I’ve got maybe is a bit more experience with the smaller gloves and the cage. But we’re gonna stand in elbow range and beat the hell out of each other. I know that, I can see it on John’s face and I know it in my heart. It’s a perfect match-up.”
