Dan Hardy issues statement after on-air confrontation with Herb Dean

Former UFC welterweight title challenger turned commentator Dan Hardy has issued a statement after he scolded referee Herb Dean on-air.

Dean found himself in Hardy’s crosshairs during a lightweight fight between Francisco Trinaldo and Jai Herbert. In the third round of the fight, Trinaldo leveled Herbert with an overhand left. The impact clearly left Herbert unconcious, but Dean neglected to stop the action, leaving Trinaldo to land two additional and concussive strikes.

Hardy then scolded Dean, and the exchange was caught by some viewers.

“I’m doing my job, now you do yours!” Hardy could be heard saying. “Gotta look out for these fighters. My goodness!”

Speaking on Instagram on Sunday morning, Hardy issued a statement on this exchange, which some fans deems fair, and others saw as him overstepping his duties as a commentator.

The Brit stands by his decision to speak his mind.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I love Mixed Martial Arts. Sometimes it doesn’t love me back though, and that’s alright. Regardless, I’ll always do everything in my power to protect it, and those dedicating themselves to it. Sometimes you may disagree with me, and that’s alright as well. I’m always going to speak my mind, and it will always be backed by what I feel in my heart. If you understand what it takes to get in there, then you understand my passion and anger when I see a fighter left unprotected. It isn’t the first time it’s happened, and twice in a night is clear negligence, in my opinion. The referees job is more important than any other person in that building. It is on their shoulders to protect fighters from getting seriously hurt when they are unable to protect themselves. You may just see UFC fighters in there, but I see friends, teammates, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers, competing in the sport that they love. When I make a mistake, I look stupid on live TV. When a referee makes a mistake, people are left vulnerable and can be seriously damaged. That can be life-changing, and we all have someone to go home to, that loves us and wants us back in one piece. Thank you for all of the kind words and messages I’ve received. I am truly grateful. I’ll see you all around… ♥️ —————— 🏴‍☠️Outlaw🏴‍☠️ —————— 📸 – @jeffbottari 🙏🏼

A post shared by Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) on Jul 26, 2020 at 7:45am PDT

“I love Mixed Martial Arts. Sometimes it doesn’t love me back though, and that’s alright. Regardless, I’ll always do everything in my power to protect it, and those dedicating themselves to it.

Sometimes you may disagree with me, and that’s alright as well. I’m always going to speak my mind, and it will always be backed by what I feel in my heart.

If you understand what it takes to get in there, then you understand my passion and anger when I see a fighter left unprotected. It isn’t the first time it’s happened, and twice in a night is clear negligence, in my opinion.

The referees job is more important than any other person in that building. It is on their shoulders to protect fighters from getting seriously hurt when they are unable to protect themselves.

You may just see UFC fighters in there, but I see friends, teammates, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers, competing in the sport that they love.

When I make a mistake, I look stupid on live TV. When a referee makes a mistake, people are left vulnerable and can be seriously damaged. That can be life-changing, and we all have someone to go home to, that loves us and wants us back in one piece.

Thank you for all of the kind words and messages I’ve received. I am truly grateful. I’ll see you all around.”

What do you think of this statement from Dan Hardy?