Dan Hardy floats banning of Russian athletes in the UFC

Dan Hardy has been on a warpath ever since UFC fired him. For the 39 year old former fighter the options seem limited – so he’s opted to be the bearer of hilarious internet takes. Hardy recently used his sizeable twitter following to call into question how UFC has been treating the Ukraine invasion.

Hardy’s hopes for a boxing return against Tyron Woodley were dashed once Woodley got the call to be the part of a Jake Paul rematch. On the other side of the pond – ONE FC was rumored to be discussing a return with Hardy but nothing came of it.

The MMA community has not been silenced over that matter, many fighters and MMA journalists have shared their thoughts over the conflict.

The UFC Bantamweight from Georgia Merab Dvalishvili protested the Russian invasion, remembering the time that Russia invaded his home country.

In a move that surprised most spectators, Russian Bantamweight champion Petr Yan showed his disagreement with the invasion and hopes for a peaceful resolution.

Yan posted a picture of two hands together symbolizing peace, each hand has the colors of the nations in the current conflict.

The champion also added a hashtag that translates to “No to war”.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has remained silent on the topic – perhaps fearing what it might mean for Eagle FC on either continent. Nurmagomedov had previously represented Ukraine in one of his fights and even applied for a citizenship – but he didn’t take it well once he was denied.