MMAInsider caught up with UFC welterweight Dan Hardy in Los Angeles as he prepared for the festivities of July 4 -- namely, taking on grill duties and eating everything in sight.
A speculative match-up that recently made the internet rounds was Carlos Condit. Good match-up: Condit has solid Muay Thai skills and is great off his back. Hardy is an excellent kickboxer and showed he's no slouch on the mat against Marcus Davis at UFC 99.
With Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick doing battle in September for what could be the next contender slot, Condit coming off a loss to Kampmann after a long run as WEC champ, and Hardy continuing to build his name, one might think, why not?
For one, Hardy is a less excited, and what's more, he's taking a backseat in the next fight of his UFC career.
"I've seen Condit come up quite a bit and a few others as well. I think it's a great fight. I really don't mind who they pick. Obviously with me being quite aggressive about picking my last fight, I'm kind of looking forward to handing this one over to Joe Silva, and letting him pick the fight for me."
Most fans believe Condit would have the advantage on the ground, and Hardy doesn't necessarily disagree. But for those who think he would be a submission victim, he begs to differ.
"Realistically, he probably does have a slight advantage on the ground if you look at his record, because he has a lot more submissions than I have. But for my last three fights, I've been destined to get my ass kicked by every one of them and it hasn't happened yet, so at some point people are going to stop doubting me and realize that I'm not such a pushover."
From his perspective, their recent records say more about the fight's likelihood.
"He's coming off a loss and I'm coming off three wins, so I don't know whether the UFC will see that as a viable fight for me," he said. "Maybe he should get someone like Davis next, I don’t know. I really don’t know what value it would be to me, to be honest, apart from being fun."
At the moment, he has nothing booked, but a fall return is his preference.
"I'm just waiting around at the moment," he said. "I think it's going to be sometime in October or November."
The war of words between UFC welterweights Marcus Davis and Dan Hardy. How it got started and why this fight may not last very long at UFC 99. Who wins this grudge match?
UFC welterweight Dan Hardy considers himself an Englishman in LA.
The 26 year-old Nottingham native spends most of his days with his girlfriend in the City of Angels. Only training camps take him from the city.
In addition to his usual work with grappling guru Eddie Bravo, Hardy is the latest MMA fighter to find Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym. It's also around the corner from his LA apartment, which made directions easy.
"There's always things to work on," Hardy said of the experience. "I'm not perfect at any range, so I've always got to keep working. It's just a good opportunity to work with a guy like Freddie. It's interesting to hear his opinions on MMA, how he sees the range is different from MMA and boxing.
He also worked with Michael Moorer, a multi-title boxing champion and one of Roach's early students that now coaches.
"He's a great southpaw," Hardy said of Moorer. "It's interesting getting his viewpoint on southpaws fighting orthodox fighters, because Marcus Davis is a southpaw as well. I've got some good input from the guys, like controlling the range and landing cleaner shots without getting caught. Kind of similar to my last fight."
Last week, he went to Germany to visit with US troops, and heads back to his hometown afterwards to begin preparation for a contentious fight with Marcus Davis at UFC 99.
"It's just a perfect fight for me, and I think he realizes that his time's come with his hold over the UK," said Hardy. "This is going to be the last fight against a British fighter."
The UFC treated fans watching UFC 95 on Setanta Sports to all 10 bouts on Saturday night in England. Even the British fans that weren't able to attend were able to see their countrymen fight, most of which faired well.
The fans that did make it to the O2 Arena treated the UFC to a strong attendance of 13,268, totaling ticket revenue of slightly more than $1 million U.S. Both are considered strong numbers during tough economic times, especially with a fight card sans a championship bout.
Diego Sanchez, making his 155-pound debut, and Joe Stevenson were top bill at UFC 95, providing fans with the Fight of the Night. They battled through all three rounds before Sanchez scored a unanimous decision victory.
Dan Hardy, Terry Etim, and Paul Kelly, were all victorious, giving the British fans much to cheer for, although big Neil Grove was unable to do the same.
At a Q & A session for this weekend's UFC 95, Marcus Davis spoke to English fans about possibilities for his fighting future.
One strong candidate seemed to be Dan Hardy, who faces Davis' former training partner in Rory Markham tomorrow.
Davis respected Hardy's talent, but in six appearances across the pond, four of his opponents have been Brits.
"This is the thing," Davis explained. "I wanna stop fighting British guys (in England). Now I say bring me Americans. I hear a lot about fighting Dan, I think he is a good fighter, great stand-up and a good record. I think it would be an interesting fight. But I just hope we don't do it here."
Later, Davis hinted that the UFC's German debut in June may be the place for them to do battle.
"Not a definite thing, but hearing that I may be fighting in Germany," said Davis. "I think they are looking at this card for possible opponents, obviously Hardy has been mentioned, but he is fighting a powerhouse friend of mine in Rory Markham, so it's a case of do I pull for Markham as a friend or pull for Hardy for me to fight?"
The UFC's plans for Davis go beyond this summer, as well.
UFC brass, particularly UK head Marshall Zelaznik, have mentioned the possibility of bringing Davis back to Ireland for a headlining fight on St. Patty's day, assuming he stays on the winning track. Davis said he might split his time between the States and his native land.
"I am looking at purchasing a home over here in the Summer, and were talking about opening a Team Sitodyong/Team Irish over here, so we have to see how that goes," said Davis.
In regards to the "tough opponent" he desired for a possible St. Patty's day fight, an early career defeat stuck out.
"Thiago Alves and I have history," said Davis. "I lost a split division on the score card, so we have history. We're different fighters now, that was both our third professional fights, I had no background on the ground, and that is a fight I would love to do."
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