Dan Hardy is reflecting on his confrontation with Herb Dean.
Hardy provided color commentary at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till. He got into a confrontation with referee Herb Dean after a bout between Jai Herbert and Francisco Trinaldo. UFC President Dana White had previously stated that Hardy confronted Dean after the fight, but Hardy says it was the other way around.
“(Dean) came over to me and spoke to me at the desk,” Hardy said on MMA Junkie Radio. “(White saying), ‘You can never approach an official.’ That was not aimed at me. I’m not taking that as being aimed at me in any way. That was, to me, related to the fight the following week at UAE Warriors where one of the fighters wouldn’t let go of the choke and then pushed Marc Goddard, who was the official on that night. It was a bit of a mix of a reply from Dana at the press conference. That, to me, was what he was replying to. I didn’t approach an official.”
Hardy has yet to return to the commentary booth since the incident with Dean. The former fighter says that he has spoken with the UFC about the matter, but Hardy still wants officials to be held accountable for their actions.
“I’ve spoken to the UFC about it,” Hardy said. “They don’t want me shouting at the officials on the broadcast. That was my feedback from it. At the same time, I don’t want to be put in a position where an official isn’t doing their job. … I just want accountability. That’s all I want. We’re in a sport where people can get seriously hurt – permanently seriously hurt.”
There is no word yet as to when or if Hardy will ever return to the UFC commentary booth.
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