PFL Head of Fighter Operations Dan Hardy is getting ready for a big night of fights as the PFL Europe Playoffs take place in Glasgow, Scotland this weekend. But, while Hardy will be focused on matters at the Hydro on Saturday night, he also has an eye on the future.
The former UFC welterweight title challenger is one of the most influential voices in the PFL’s executive team, with his valuable experience inside the cage giving the promotion an elite athlete’s view of how things are working inside the organisation.
And, chatting to RG.org ahead of the PFL Europe Playoffs, Hardy revealed there was one significant change he’d like to see the PFL implement across all of its fight brands from the start of 2025.
“Honestly, it’s an easy one – elbows,” he said.
“Elbows in the PFL, across all the promotions.”
Hardy’s reasoning is simple. The sport should be the same in the PFL as it is in the UFC, so the fans don’t need to re-learn the ruleset in order to follow what’s going on inside the PFL SmartCage.
“Elbows are in the unified rules of mixed martial arts. We should apply the unified rules to everything that we do – all the promotions that we have under the PFL banner. And we should realign ourselves with the real mixed martial arts fans.”
Hardy also said it allows fighters to use the full range of their fighting arsenals, and ensures that when the action hits the mat, it doesn’t slow down.
“I think a lot of people, they go, ‘Yeah, I watch the PFL. But elbows, you know…’ he said.
“There are certain times when I’m watching fights and I can feel a fight slows down in positions where elbows would keep it moving. And even talking to judges after some of the earlier events, they were like, ‘Man, it changes the ability to score on the floor a lot when they can’t elbow.’
“So that, for me, is an easy one. It’s a super simple solution. We should reintroduce elbows at the first opportunity. The fighters would love it, the fans would love it!”
