Dan Hardy is one of the UFC’s biggest draws overseas.
His exciting striking, outspoken personality, and red and black Mohawk has made him one of the most recognizable and liked fighters in the UFC.
At UFC Fight Night 24, Dan Hardy lost by unanimous decision to Anthony Johnson.
Johnson had the cards stacked against him as he was coming off a 16-month layoff due to a knee injury. Johnson also had to cut a bunch of weight, something he’s had issues with in the past.
This fight was suppose to be Hardy’s to win. Instead, the Brit lost his third straight.
While he did not get caught like he did against Carlos Condit, Hardy was not able to get his stand up game going.
Hardy also had trouble on the ground as Johnson kept the top position and showed some ground-and-pound and submission defense.
Last night showed that Hardy will continue to have trouble with bigger guys who can out wrestle and out grapple him.
While he’s made welterweight work, he's not a chiseled welterweight like Johnson and Georges St-Pierre. Both guys were able to take Hardy down with ease.
A guy like Nate Marquardt would also give Hardy problems if he decides to move down from middleweight.
The Outlaw has had a successful career at welterweight. Before his encounter with GSP, he had a perfect record in the octagon.
But he’ll have to change his game plan if he wants to get back on top. Every fighter won’t stand and bang.
While there has not been any talk of it, Hardy may want to consider moving to light weight.
Hardy could bring some serious KO power with him to the division and continue to put on some exciting fights.
For once he may even have the size advantage against certain fighters.
A move down does not automatically mean he’ll run through guys though. Many lightweights have strong wrestling bases, which is something Hardy will have to improve on.
Another problem is the lightweight division is stacked with fighters.
Adding Hardy to the division could bring some exciting and marketable fights, but it could also mean another fighter getting lost in the title shuffle with a single loss.
The weight cut itself. Cutting down has affected fighters in the past, especially in their first fight in a new weight division. It's a risk that Hardy can't really afford.
On the other hand, notable fighters like Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez became title contenders at lightweight, and BJ Penn was a far greater champion at lightweight than welterweight.
There is not any indication that Hardy would ever drop down in weight. But it could be a good option for him.
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