Dan Hardy: GSP Is An Athlete Not A Fighter
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The learning curve in MMA is a tough road to walk sometimes.
British fighter Dan Hardy treaded on that very path at UFC 111 when he faced welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and lost by unanimous decision after a five round fight. No one questioned Hardy’s heart after the fight, but he admits it was tough to swallow.
Staying in the United States for a few months after the fight, Hardy spoke candidly with MMAWeekly Radio about the fight with GSP, and how he looks back on the bout just a couple of weeks later.
Admitting that he only went back to watch the fight once, Hardy believes that St-Pierre did play it safe, but it doesn’t matter because he got the win.
“He obviously didn’t want to take any risks in the fight, fair enough. He’s got a lot riding on the fight, that’s fair enough,” said Hardy. “There’s winning, and ‘winning’ and no disrespect to Georges, but that’s not how I would want to win a fight. But he got the job done and that’s why he’s got the belt and I haven’t.”
GSP did lock up a Kimura during the fight that saw the British fighter’s arm go in a direction that no one’s should, and Hardy even let out a scream in pain when the Canadian was twisting and turning the hold. Still, there was never a thought to give up.
“I’m just stubborn. That’s about 98 percent of my ground game is stubbornness,” said Hardy. “He got me in the position, and I knew it was coming as soon as he got a hand on my wrist. It’s a position that he likes and I knew as soon as he felt like he got a lock on the arm, he was going to try and wrench it around my back. I’ve got a really flexible shoulder, or at least I have now, but I’m fine. It wasn’t something that was going to get me to tap, that’s for sure.”
From MMAWeekly – Click here for full article
