Dan Hardy to take on Diego Sanchez in July 2 exhibition boxing match

The year is 2022, and fight fans have started to become accustomed to expecting the unexpected when it comes to aging combat sports greats.

A boxing event that will feature the return of Ricky Hatton (45-3, 32 KOs) against Marco Antonio Barrera (67-7, 1 NC; 44 KOs) is now officially on the books for July 2. This card that will go down at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, will also feature an undercard bringing a pair of bouts with unexpected participants. Youtuber Casey Walsh will face fellow musician Don Strapzy in the ring, but more significantly, Dan Hardy (25-10, 1 NC) will come out of combat sports retirement to throw down with Diego Sanchez (30-14).

The Hardy-Sanchez fight will be an eight-round exhibition, where the participants will wear 16-ounce gloves and fight in two-minute rounds. If the fight goes to decision, it will automatically be ruled a draw. This spectacle of a fight card features a pair of musical guests, with British rapper Tion Wayne and England-based band Bad Boy Chiller Crew performing throughout the night. Additional matchups and entertainment will be announced in the future, per the promotion.

For several years, Hardy has flirted with returning to combat after hanging up his gloves in 2013. Hardy moved on from MMA when he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition that would put him at severe risk should he fight again. “The Outlaw” joined the UFC commentary team as an analyst when the organization was partnered with Fox Sports, and he called 513 fights from 2014-21 across 44 events around the world. In the past, Hardy explained to Sherdog that his competition days were not completely behind him. Now, he will get a chance to fight once again.

A year and a half older than his adversary, Sanchez last stepped in a cage or ring in March, when he competed under the Eagle FC banner. The appearance was Sanchez’ first not as a UFC fighter since 2005, and “The Nightmare” fell short to Kevin Lee in a hard-fought battle as the headliner. Both Hardy and Sanchez were released from their UFC contracts in 2021, and neither has ever competed in a boxing match.