Hardy beats the Aussie out of Davis.
Dan Hardy hopes Marcus Davis can take punches better than he can take criticism
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Dan Hardy has been on a roll. He has won 10 out of his last 11 fights with the only loss coming because of disqualification due to an inadvertent kick to the groin against Yoshiyuki Yoshida . Now after winning two straight in the UFC Hardy is starting to get the attention of the fans and Marcus Davis.
“I don’t like the kid.” Davis told ATO last week. “I think he’s got a big mouth. I don’t like the way he looks. I don’t like the way he acts. I look forward to smashing him in the face many times.”
Although Hardy has won five straight fights including his last two in the UFC Davis isn’t impressed. “He’s fooled everybody. He’s only had two fights in the UFC. And then he goes and does an interview where he starts crapping all over Georges St. Pierre. He’s crapping all over me talking about me saying I’m a little speed bump. He wanted to fight someone better but he’s settling for me. He’s saying all kinds of crap like I have all kinds of holes in my game and I’m slow. I don’t read the stuff but my friends and family do and they send it to me. All he is doing is pissing me off and making it personal. That only happened one other time in my UFC career and that guy got knocked out really quick. The same thing is going to happen. I’m going to smash him into pieces.”
All of this started at UFC 95 when Hardy expressed an interest in fighting Davis noting how Davis fought in the UK several times and had developed quite a following. Hardy insisted it was his home turf and he would defend it.
Earlier this week ATO caught up with Dan Hardy as he prepares for the fight at UFC 99 against Davis. “I really would have thought that someone of his age would be able to deal with this kind of stuff a little better.” Hardy said. “I hope he can take punches better than he can take criticism, or it will be a very short night for him. I really don’t mind if he doesn’t like me, I don’t care for him much either. I do have a big mouth, but I can back it up and I really don’t care that he dislikes the way I look, he is hardly a style guru himself! For a start, his website looks like a St Patrick’s Day gift shop.”
Hardy has a very respectable 21-6 record but feels that Davis looks down on him because he’s been in the UFC longer. “He is talking like he is way ahead of me in the sport, just because he has had more fights in the UFC.” Hardy said. “The reality is, I earned my place in the UFC through working hard and beating the right opponents. I belong in the UFC and my last two fights have proved that. I can say what I like, about who I like because I am allowed my opinion and he is welcome to try and shut me up. I have studied his fights and I am confident I can beat him, I’m sure he feels the same. That is what will make this fight so exciting.
Even though the feud is getting quite ugly a few months before they actually get in the octagon Hardy says he does have respect for Davis. “I think its a great fight for the fans and stylistically, a great match up for me. I want each fight to bring a new problem that needs to be solved and I think Marcus provides that opportunity. He is a tough guy with lots of experience and he has a strong team behind him. I am expecting the best Marcus Davis to show up and fight the best Dan Hardy, and the result will be a war.”
It seems controversy has followed Hardy lately. Shortly after the fight at UFC 95 in February his opponent Rory Markham stated he had a collapsed lung that hindered him in the fight. “I wasn’t aware that Markham himself had said those things, but if he has, I think its very foolish of him. I don’t believe that the doctors the UFC employs would allow a fighter to step into the Octagon with such an injury and it certainly wouldn’t go unnoticed with all of the medical examinations he have to get done before the fight. It’s also foolish to think it would have effected the outcome of the fight.”
According to Hardy “Somebody on one of the forums said it best, “collapsed lung… more like collapsed legs!”.”
But all of the controversy aside it was important for Hardy to get his second straight win in the octagon to show he is the real deal. “It was a huge win for me, Markham is a tough guy and I am proud to have a win over him on my record. Each fight is always the most important at the time because your whole career hangs in the balance. Now the fight with Markham has past, the Davis fight is the most important.”
The fight in Cologne, Germany will be Hardy’s highest profile fight to date and he has been training in the United States but will head back to the UK for his training camp. “At the moment I am in LA. I’m working on my Jiu Jitsu and wrestling at Legends and my Boxing at Wildcard. I haven’t had a chance to go out to Xtreme Couture yet but I plan on spending a little time out there before I return to the UK for my training camp. We have all the Team Rough House fighters preparing at the same time so this next camp will be the best yet.”
