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.”
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Nothing is set in stone but the wheels are in motion to have both fighters meet inside the ONE Circle soon. Parr lost via head-kick KO against Nieky Holzken on his ONE debut in April.
“We’ve connected and we’ve said that we are going to speak,” said Hardy of his interactions with ONE. “Obviously with them having their event on Friday [July 30], the Battleground event. They were focused on that. And I’m sure they’re still celebrating the success of it. I will be speaking to them this week.
“John and I have already verbally agreed. We’ve already spoken privately via message and said this is the fight that makes sense. As long as we can find a date and a venue.
“It makes sense and it’s a fight I’m excited for. It’s a fight that would be perfect for me to step back in there and to celebrate John Wayne Parr as well as a great opponent and great martial artist.”
Hardy does not have a one-and-done attitude when it comes to his return, however, and believes this could be the start of a fruitful partnership with Singapore-based ONE.
“Maybe it opens the door for a couple of other fights in ONE,” Hardy said. “Maybe MMA. Maybe kick-boxing. I’m not sure but I like the idea of having a few different fights under different rulesets starting with cage Muay Thai.”
