Dan HardySo far, our exposure to kids MMA has been pretty horrifying. It’s either Armenian businessmen organizing child shootfights in bars or daycare workers lining kids up and making them hit each other on video, and that doesn’t leave a lot of room for happiness and compassion. That may have all changed thanks to this video of Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy waving a kid over and letting him throw knee strikes at pads and punch him in the face. It is adorable.

From Maggie Hendricks at Cagewriter:

While training for his bout with UFC on Fuel 5 with Amir Sadollah, Dan Hardy tried working with a new partner. This one brought speed and heart, but did have to ask his mom before he worked out with Hardy.

I’m glad someone finally found the right way to introduce mixed martial arts to children: introduce it as a fun, healthy activity they can get into now and be great at when they grow up. That seems a lot better than “put a kid in flame shorts and let him punch a crying baby while we laugh and smoke cigars”.

You’re pretty awesome, Dan Hardy.