Dan Hardy: UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes 'is a real piece of s**t'

By foxsports
Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:50 p.m. ET

Dan Hardy has become known for his candor in his second career as a UFC broadcaster. Apparently, that also crosses over to social media.

The former UFC welterweight blasted UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes on Twitter over the weekend, calling him "a piece of s**t." The rip was in reply to a Bloody Elbow tweet about Hughes' television hunting show going on the road to Africa.

The beef between Hardy and Hughes goes back years. Hardy is an animal lover and doesn’t appreciate Hughes' trophy hunting. Hughes responded to Hardy's issues in 2012 by referring to his critics as "PETA idiots."

(WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE)

"You don't shoot animals for fun," Hardy said in February 2013. "What kind of person does that? Shooting animals is not fun and someone who does shoot animals is a sociopath. It's the same group as Michael Vick. If you don't see something wrong with what you're doing, you've got a problem."

The two did once compete in the same division, but never fought against one another. Hardy also said in 2013, before what was supposed to be a fight against Matt Brown, that Hughes was "bad for the sport."

"In my 30 years as a person, I've already achieved more than he has in his whole life," Hardy said. "I just don't like the guy at all. I think he's bad for the sport. I think he's bad for the athletes in the sport and I don't want him anywhere around me."

Hardy, 32, is a former welterweight No. 1 contender and has not fought since September 2012, a win over Amir Sadollah. Hughes, the former longtime welterweight champ, has been retired since September 2011. Hardy has dealt with a heart ailment, but does have some designs on returning to the Octagon. Currently, he has been working as the UFC's color commentator for Fight Pass events in Europe and the Middle East and doing a fine job.

Hughes is the current vice president of athlete development and government relations for the UFC and doesn't seem to have any plans on coming back. But maybe that's the only way for these two guys to sort out their differences.