Dan Hardy hopes Elon Musk will buy UFC after Twitter

Dana White (left), Dan Hardy (centre), Elon Musk (right) [Image of Elon Musk courtesty of wired.com, Twitter logo via Twitter.com, UFC logo via @ufc on Instagram]

Former UFC welterweight fighter Dan Hardy has admitted he hopes Elon Musk will look to buy MMA's premier promotion next.

Musk recently purchased control of social media platform Twitter for an astounding $44 billion, with the aim of growing the space and unlocking its potential. Hardy joked that he wishes Elon Musk would now turn his attention to the UFC with a similar promise.

The Englishman, who is a big advocate for better care of fighters and greater pay, took to Twitter after news of Elon Musk buying the platform broke. He wrote:

"It would be awesome if Elon Musk bought the UFC next."

It would be awesome if @elonmusk bought the @UFC next. 😁

#UFC
#Twitter
#ElonMusk
#FreeSpeech

'The Outlaw', who has had his own issues with the UFC since his controversial removal from ring-side commentary, continued his conversation with his followers about what the landscape of the organization would look like if owned by Elon Musk.

Responding to a question about Musk's strive for excellence, which would likely lead to a cutting of the roster, Hardy replied with:

"I'd be absolutely fine with that. Then the talent would be spread across the other promotions, and the money all round would be better."

@Crime_MMA @elonmusk @ufc I’d be absolutely fine with that. Then the talent would be spread across the other promotions, and the money all round would be better.

The South African-born entrepreneur, considered by Forbes to be the richest person on the planet with an estimated value of $273.6 billion, is involved with the parent company of the UFC, Endeavour Group, who Musk joined in 2021.

It was announced earlier this year that the business tycoon would leave the organization by the end of June 2022 because of having too many commitments.

Dan Hardy and his return to fighting

It has been almost a decade since Dan Hardy stepped inside the octagon. Fans weren't without Hardy's presence on UFC broadcasts for too long, as the fighter-turned-analyst transitioned into an interviewer and commentator for the promotion.

That was until 2021, when Hardy was fired from the UFC in controversial circumstances. An altercation between Dan Hardy and referee Herb Dean, with the former fighter finding issue with the performance of Dean, was thought to have lead to the removal of Hardy from his position within the UFC.

It was also later revealed that a second exchange with a female UFC employee perhaps had a part to play in the sudden release.

Fast forward to today and fans of the Englishman will be excited to see 'The Outlaw' in a new endeavor, boxing. In July, Hardy is set to take on fellow UFC legend Diego Sanchez in an eight-round exhibition fight.

The UFC Veterans Collide 👀

Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) is set to box Diego Sanchez (@DiegoSanchezUFC) at The Manchester Arena on 2 July. https://t.co/pUQugNQIyW

Dan Hardy has even shared that the boxing match will be the biggest pay-day of his career, noting that this fight is worth more than all of his UFC appearances combined.