Dan Hardy

[HISTORY]

Statistics
Name: Dan Hardy
Nickname: The Outlaw
Height: 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight: 170 lb (78 kg)
Nationality: British
Fighting Out Of: Nottingham, United Kingdom
Fighting Style: Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Mixed Martial Arts Record
Wins: 23
By (T)KO: 11
By Submission: 4
By Decision: 8
Losses: 7
Draws: 0
No Contests: 1

Dan Hardy (born May 17, 1982) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Hardy fought in various promotions such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors before signing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008. He is the current Cage Warriors welterweight and light-welterweight champion. His nickname is derived from the fictional character Robin Hood who shares Hardy's hometown of Nottingham. Hardy is currently ranked by Sherdog as the #4 welterweight fighter in the world.

Hardy made his UFC debut at UFC 89, defeating Akihiro Gono via split decision. Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks. Gono rocked Hardy on more than one occasion. In the third round Gono pushed Hardy to the canvas and while there landed an illegal knee to the face of the downed fighter causing the fight to be stopped for a lengthy period. Hardy recovered and went on to win the split decision. The judges saw the bout 29–28 (twice) for Hardy and 29–28 for Gono.
Dan Hardy beat Rory Markham at UFC 95 in the first round (1:09) by KO with a clean counter left hook. A follow-up shot on the mat brought in Kevin Mulhall to stop the fight. In his post-fight interview, Hardy retorted to Markham's pre-fight accusation that he had weak hands by exclaiming to the ecstatic crowd, "No punching power? What do you have to say about that?”
Dan Hardy next faced Marcus Davis at UFC 99 on June 13, 2009. The grudge between these two men began with the Irish-American Davis fighting in the UK against local fighters and defeating them all in spectacular fashion. Hardy stated that the UK was his home and he did not want Davis in it, building a fan base. It started to get personal when Hardy began openly insulting Davis calling him a fake Irishman and stating that Davis' website "looked like a St. Patrick's day gift shop blew up."
Afterwards, on an UK underground MMA website, Hardy encouraged fans to post photoshopped pictures of Davis in a homosexual fashion. The pictures upset Davis, causing him to confront Hardy at a UFC 99 press conference. The two continued to argue, but finally agreed to settle it in the cage. After a three round war, the judges at UFC 99 awarded the fight to Dan Hardy. Marcus Davis stormed out of the cage ignoring Hardy's attempts to make peace. Davis told reporters that he wants a rematch with Hardy in Ireland or Boston. Hardy insists in his post-fight interview with Davis (and after the event to fans) that all of controversy was an effort to get Davis off his game-plan and nothing personal.

On November 14, 2009 at UFC 105 he faced Mike Swick who replaced an injured Kim Dong-hyun. At a press conference in Manchester Hardy and Swick discussed the winner of their fight getting a title shot against Georges St-Pierre. Hardy was the underdog coming into the fight, but managed to rock Swick early in the first round with a straight right hand which appeared to dent the American's confidence. Swick appeared to be uncomfortable standing toe-to-toe with the Englishman and Hardy proceeded to rock him again in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Hardy won the fight by unanimous decision and booked his place as the number 1 contender for Georges St-Pierre's Welterweight title. In being awarded the title shot, Hardy became the first British fighter in UFC history to receive one. UFC President Dana White confirmed at the post-fight press conference that the fight would most likely be held in Las Vegas. Dan stated in a post-fight interview with Sherdog.com that the next event in Las Vegas (UFC 109) in February was a little too early for him and he would much rather wait.
Hardy was then scheduled to face Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey. During the bout St-Pierre was able to take Hardy down at will, controlling him with effective ground and pound. St-Pierre was also able to secure a tight armbar and kimura in the first and fourth rounds, with Hardy refusing to tap despite the risk of his arm being broken. St-Pierre defended his title in a unanimous decision after 5 rounds (50-43, 50-44, 50-45), after the fight stating his surprise that Hardy wouldn't tap.

MMA Fight History:
-March 27' 2010: UFC Welterweight Title: lost to Georges St. Pierre (c), UFC 111: St. Pierre .vs. Hardy, 5th round 5:00 Unanimous Decision
-November 14' 2009: defeated Mike Swick, UFC 105: Couture .vs. Vera, 3rd round 5:00 Unanimous Decision
-June 13' 2009: defeated Marcus Davis, UFC 99: The Comeback, 3rd round 5:00 Split Decision
-February 21' 2009: defeated Rory Markham, UFC 95: Sanchez .vs. Stevenson, 1st round 1:09 KO (Punch)
-October 18' 2008: defeated Akihiro Gono, UFC 89: Bisping .vs. Leben, 3rd round 5:00 Split Decision
-May 3' 2008: defeated Daniel Weichel, UF-Punishment, 2nd round 1:36 TKO (Strikes)
-April 19' 2008: defeated Chad Reiner, CWFC-Enter The Rough House 6, 3rd round 2:10 TKO (Strikes)
-December 8' 2007: defeated Manuel Garcia, CWFC-Enter The Rough House 5, 1st round 2:21 Submission (Strikes)
-December 1' 2007: GCM Welterweight Title: lost to Yoshiyuki Yoshida, GCM-Cage Force 5, 2nd round 0:04 DQ (Groin Kick)
-September 8' 2007: defeated Hidetaka Monma, GCM-Cage Force 4, 3rd round 0:28 TKO (Corner Stoppage)
-May 27' 2007: defeated Daizo Ishige, GCM-Cage Force EX Eastern Bound, 3rd round 5:00 Unanimous Decision
-April 28' 2007: defeated Willy Ni, CWFC-Enter The Rough House 2, 2nd round 0:32 Submission (Guillotine Choke)
-December 9' 2006: defeated Alexandre Izidro, CWFC-Enter The Rough House, 3rd round 4:56 TKO (Strikes)
-September 16' 2006: defeated Danny Rushton, CWFC-Showdown, 1st round 5:00 TKO (Corner Stoppage)
-June 18' 2006: lost to David Baron, 2H2H-Road To Japan, 2nd round 3:00 Unanimous Decision
-April 14' 2006: lost to Forrest Petz, FF 2-Fightfest 2, 5th round 5:00 Unanimous Decision
-March 25' 2006: defeated Diego Gonzalez, CWFC-Strike Force 5, 3rd round 0:19 TKO (Cut)
-November 26' 2005: defeated Matt Thorpe, CWFC-Strike Force 4, 5th round 5:00 Split Decision
-October 1' 2005: went to a No Contest with Diego Gonzalez, CWFC-Strike Force 3, 2nd round 1:19
-September 17' 2005: defeated Sami Berik, CWFC-Quest 3, 3rd round 5:00 Unanimous Decision
-July 16' 2005: defeated Lautaro Arborelo, CWFC-Strike Force 2, 3rd round 3:52 TKO (Strikes)
-June 24' 2005: defeated Alexandre Izidro, KOTC-Warzone, 2nd round 5:00 Unanimous Decision
-June 18' 2005: defeated Stuart Barrs, UK-Storm, 2nd round 0:43 TKO (Strikes)
-May 21' 2005: lost to David Baron, CWFC-Strike Force, 2nd round 3:10 Submission (Triangle Choke)
-April 8' 2005: defeated Andy Walker, CWFC-Quest, 1st round 1:29 TKO (Strikes)
-January 29' 2005: defeated Lee Doski, FC UK 1-Fight Club UK 1, 2nd round 3:05 Submission (Injury)
-December 18' 2004: defeated Aaron Barrow, CWFC 9-Xtreme Xmas, 1st round 0:13 KO (Punch)
-October 30' 2004: lost to Pat Healy, AFC 10-Absolute Fighting Championships 10, 1st round 3:50 Submission (Guillotine Choke)
-September 18' 2004: defeated Andy Melia, CWFC 8-Brutal Force, 2nd round 2:40 Submission (Strikes)
-August 14' 2004: defeated Paul Jenkins, FCFN 2-Full Contact Fight Night 2, 3rd round 5:00 Majority Decision
-June 6' 2004: lost to Lee Doski, EB 7-Extreme Brawl 7, 2nd round 4:59 Submission (Rear Naked Choke)