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Dan Hardy and The Art of War

You could call Dan Hardy mixed martial arts’ first true viral marketer. How else do you explain his ability to take a bout that was

Swick vs. Hardy set for UFC 105 in Manchester

intriguing, but without title implications in the welterweight division, and turn it into a fight that may have stolen the thunder from the main event at UFC 99 in terms of fan anticipation?

Well, with a little Ali, a little bit of modern technology and the uncanny knack of pushing opponent Marcus Davis’ buttons before their June bout, Hardy went from a relatively unknown 27-year old with just two UFC fights under his belt to a legitimate UK star with designs on the top of the 170-pound division as he heads into his UFC 105 bout against Dong Hyun Kim in November. But ‘The Outlaw’ isn’t about to take all the credit for taking an undercard bout to heights rarely seen in terms of fan and media attention.

“I think it was the way I was brought up,” said Hardy of his gift for gab. “My dad’s very much like that, and so is my grandma, actually. (Laughs) She’ll wind you up, tease you, and get a reaction out of you. Plus, my dad used to play football every weekend, and I got to see him in the changing room with all the guys, and it was like that all the time. I also think everybody I train with in the gym has had a similar upbringing, so we’re all lighting up at each other. It’s just natural to me. If I dislike someone genuinely, they would know, and everybody else would know. But the stuff I’m saying is just fun. It might upset somebody, but that’s just my humor.”

That somebody was hard-nosed welterweight contender Marcus Davis, whose ‘Irish Hand Grenade’ was about to explode in the lead-up to the bout in Cologne, Germany. Seething at the mere mention of Hardy’s name after the Brit went on the offensive both verbally and online, Davis made a mistake many believe is fatal to a fighter – he got emotionally involved.

So on fight night at the Lanxess Arena, Davis wanted nothing more than to punch a hole in Hardy’s face. On the other side of the Octagon, Hardy was smiling and taking in the moment, visibly excited when Bruce Buffer introduced him to the crowd.

“Watching the UFC all through my career, I remember thinking to myself, ‘one day he’s gonna be saying that to me,’” recalled Hardy. “And I want to take it in and enjoy that experience. That’s a big part of it for me and Bruce Buffer’s a huge part of the UFC, and as soon as people hear his voice, everything thinks ‘okay, here we go, here’s the fight.’ It’s the same feeling for me too. As soon as I hear him announcing the fight, I get the goose bumps and I get real excited. It’s just amazing.”

And once the bell rang, it wasn’t Armageddon, but instead, a war of attrition between two fighters determined not to let this fight slip away. Losing could be accepted any other time but now, yet after a tense 15 minutes, it was Hardy who emerged victorious via split decision.

“Obviously it was a relief to back up all the trash talking, because I would have looked pretty stupid if I hadn’t,” smiled Hardy. “It was a real big fight in my career and a big step forward for me. It was nice to generate that kind of interest in the fight as well. I had a lot of fans come up to me, saying ‘that was the fight I was looking forward to on the card.’ That means a lot and it kind of eases some of the pressure knowing that somebody’s gonna be tuned in to watch it and just enjoy the show. As long as I go out there and put on a performance, that’s all that really matters.”

Hardy, now 22-6 with 1 no contest, added the win over Davis to his two previous Octagon victories over Akihiro Gono and Rory Markham, but even a month after the event, while in Las Vegas for UFC 100, Hardy wasn’t particularly pleased with the fight.

“When I got back to the dressing room after the fight, I really wasn’t happy with the performance,” he said. “I expected a lot more of myself, and I think because there was so much buildup to the fight, that played a factor for me as well. I was certainly feeling a little bit of the pressure, but at the same time I was so excited that the moment was finally there that I think I tired myself a little bit, certainly after the first round. He was very strong as well and that first round took a lot out of me. It just wasn’t a good performance by me. I felt I was about 40 percent of what I could potentially be, and I was convinced I was gonna knock him out.”

A win’s a win though, and now Hardy moves on to face Kim at UFC 105 in Manchester. And even though a drawn out war of words with Korea’s Kim is highly unlikely, there is the question whether Hardy will now be expected by fans to put on a show before, as well as during, the fight.

“It did cross my mind how I’m gonna top this hype, but I don’t think that’s important,” said Hardy. “Each fight’s different, and it really depends on the opponent. It was very difficult to do anything like that with the first opponent, Gono, obviously. Rory Markham really disappeared off the map before that fight so I really didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. There was a little talk about me not having punching power, but nothing apart from that. And there are guys in the welterweight division where if I get put up against them, they’ll be no bad blood at all because most of the guys in the division are real nice guys and I get along with them. I wouldn’t trash talk just for the sake of trash talk. I think the important thing is to be myself and enjoy the buildup, whether it’s friendly or not. At the end of the day, the fight’s the important thing, and I always put on a show during the fight.”

He plans on doing it again on November 14th, and if you think he’ll be overlooking Kim after his biggest win to date against Davis, think again. After UFC 99, Hardy spent a grand total of one day back home in England before going back to the States to train just five days after his fight. As BB King so famously said, he’s paying the cost to be the boss. And now he’s starting to reap the rewards.

“I’ve trained so hard throughout my career, it’s nice for people to finally recognize what I’ve been doing,” said Hardy.

Eric Schafer looking to paint Los Angeles Red

Eric Schafer, like many in his native Wisconsin, is two things—a cheesehead, and a hater of all things Chicago. He loves his


Packers and Brewers, hates ursine animals (Cubs, Bears), and can’t stand wind. He doesn’t make any qualms about this. But when he was growing up he wasn’t as enamored with Brett Favre or B.J. Surhoff as he was with a string-bean Brazilian in a rumpled Gi who fought in a cage.

It started with an unsuspecting stop at the video store while with his dad in 1996.

“The first UFC I saw was UFC 8,” he says. “We rented it on VHS. It was Don Frye, I remember, and Ken Shamrock had a superfight [against Kimo Leopoldo], and I was hooked from that point on. I went back and rented UFC 1 and started at the beginning, through all the VHS tapes. But I loved submissions over everything else, a way to make a guy tap out. Royce Gracie—here was a skinny, 180-pound guy tapping out muscle-bound guys. It was pretty cool.”

It’s true that many elite Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the UFC rose out of a fascination with Gracie’s technique, but the understated fact is that Gracie forever vindicated the underdog for casual observers. It’s what remains etched in Eric “Red” Schafer’s mind, for sure—the picture of a pedestrian-looking man submitting titans.

It inspired him to begin learning the fluid art of grappling and Muay Thai that same year, all while attending college at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. How’s this for stick-to-itiveness: Schafer went on to earn a degree in biology, a minor in chemistry, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a mean trucker’s nickname in “Red” and a light heavyweight belt in the XFO promotion.

Fast-forward to today and the 32-year-old is in his second stint with the UFC and riding an overall four-fight winning streak—all of them finishes. He was able to withstand the storm that Houston Alexander brought at UFC Fight Night last September in Alexander’s hometown of Omaha to submit him (triangle). Then, as a testament to his evolution as a mixed martial artist, he beat striker Antonio Mendes at his own game by TKO (punches) this past January in Dublin in the first round.

Wait, wait, wait—striking? Is this a new wrinkle?

“I’m with Duke Roufus, who’s one of the top Muay Thai guys, and we’ve got Pat Barry, who is one of the best strikers in the world,” he says of his training partners in Milwaukee. “I had to get better at striking in the last year and a half just to survive in the gym every day.”

Coincidentally, when Schafer travels to Los Angeles to fight unbeaten All-American wrestler Ryan Bader at UFC 104 on October 24, he will share the card with a caravan of guys who train with him in Wisconsin—including Barry himself, Ben Rothwell and Razak Al-Hassan. There are natural concerns about overcoming Bader’s brute strength and Octagon control, and though Schafer hasn’t fought since January—he tore some rib cartilage which forced him off a June card against Tomasz Drwal—he says he doesn’t anticipate any serious ring rust.

“I always like to stay active so I’ve done some Jiu-Jitsu tournaments,” he says. “I’m not too worried about ring rust, honestly. Bader’s also going through the same thing [coming off a knee injury], so we’re both on the same page.”

And it’s a pretty stiff challenge to have to come back against the Ultimate Fighter 8 victor, Bader, who knocked out another Jiu-Jitsu black-belt in Vinny Magalhaes to win the competition. When dealing with a world-class wrestler like Bader, Schafer—who thrives in the role of underdog—says patience and timing will win out against style differences.

“He’s definitely a wrestler first,” he says. “He’s got great takedowns and he’s going to be very hard to deal with when he’s on top of you. He got a lot more aggressive in his last fight [Carmelo Marrero], but he’s more of a controller on top. He’s going to hit you, but he’s not going to finish you usually. He grinds and slowly pounds you.”

If that sounds boring, it does to Schafer too. But there’s a method to what he’s thinking, and he makes a vow—he won’t be held down and milked for a decision.

“I’m going to have a very active guard, so if he wants to take me down he’s going to have to deal with that. I’m in great shape, and I’m going to keep going for submission after submission, sweep after sweep. . . I’m not going to just get laid on top of. I’ve seen some of his fights against really good Jiu-Jitsu guys where they just hold him in their closed guard. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to kick, I’m going to punch, I’m going to scramble, get back to my feet, move around and try to sweep him. I am going all out to try and finish him.”

Schafer’s re-emergence in the UFC’s light heavyweight division is really a matter of feeling an earned sense of belonging. After submitting Rob MacDonald in his debut at UFC 66, he was thrown to the wolves against Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar while still wide-eyed and awe-stricken. He remembers seeing himself on the big screen as he walked out and losing himself in the moment.

“Originally, it was crazy to be in the UFC,” he says. “I was a big fan, a fan my whole life, and then getting in there with Bisping and Bonnar . . . these are the guys I watched on TV! It was almost surreal. I got so nervous in those two fights.”

What a difference a couple of years make.

“Now I’ve been completely opposite, completely calm,” he says. “Houston tried to throw some hard stuff at me but I never got crazy, never got too excited—and that was in front of his hometown with 15,000 people booing me. Technically, I think I could have won those two fights against Bisping and Bonnar, but at the time I wasn’t mentally ready. Now I am mentally ready, and my technique has only gotten better.”

And he gets to showcase those wares in a town where some of the world’s finest Jiu-Jitsu practitioners run their gyms—including the family of the guy in the rumpled Gi that drew him to the sport to begin with.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – Seven Defining Moments

Long considered to be one of the top light heavyweights in the game, Brazil’s Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua rebounded from a rough patch that included a loss to Forrest Griffin and two knee surgeries to again ascend up the ranks with TKO wins over UFC Hall of Famers Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell. Less than a month away from his challenge of light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 104, we look back at Rua’s seven defining moments.

Akira Shoji – October 5, 2003 – PRIDE Bushido 1
Result – Rua KO1
4-1 in his mixed martial arts career, 21-year old Mauricio Rua made his PRIDE debut against the man many of the Japanese organization’s big names made their bones against – veteran gatekeeper Akira Shoji. And despite the fact that Shoji had been on the losing end of his PRIDE bouts more often than not, he was never one to go away quietly, and he actually came into the Rua bout with a two-fight winning streak, his first in three years. And while obviously raw technique wise, there was no disputing the athleticism and potential of the youngster from Curitiba, who rebounded from a slow start that saw him taken down and almost caught in a heel hook to stop Shoji with a series of flush shots to the head at the 3:47 mark. The win began a streak that lasted nearly two and a half years and built Rua from unknown to superstar.

Quinton Jackson – April 23, 2005 – PRIDE Total Elimination 2005
Result – Rua TKO1
Following the win over Shoji, Rua stopped Akihiro Gono and Yasuhito Namekawa in Bushido bouts before moving to the big show with a February 2005 win over Hiromitsu Kanehara at PRIDE 29. Next up for ‘Shogun’ was established star Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who had just rebounded from his second loss to Wanderlei Silva by winning a split decision over Rua’s brother Murilo. With this added incentive, Rua stepped into the Osaka Dome ring not only looking to establish himself as one of the game’s top young stars, but to avenge his brother. As he told me in 2007, “He (Jackson) was the star in PRIDE, and I was the new guy from Brazil. I knew that the fight would be difficult, he beat Ninja (Rua’s brother Murilo) before in a very controversial result, and this was my opportunity to avenge my brother. At the end, the fight was easier than everyone could imagine.” I don’t know about easy, but it was certainly impressive, and perhaps Rua’s most spectacular victory, as he tore through Jackson en route to a first round TKO that put him on the international map. ‘Shogun’ was for real.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – June 26, 2005 – PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005
Result – Rua W3
Just two months after his career defining win over Jackson, Rua was called back into action to face countryman Antonio Rogerio ‘Minotoro’ Nogueira in the quarterfinals of the PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix. Combined, the two owned a 12-0 PRIDE record, and they fought hard to keep that zero, with the resulting bout gaining much fan support as one of the best in the organization’s history. And that’s no surprise considering the back and forth nature of the fight as well as the high-level striking and groundwork from both men. When it was over, Rua had pounded out a unanimous decision win, but there were some who believed ‘Lil’ Nog’ deserved the nod. With both fighters now in the UFC, what better way to settle things than to do it one more time?

Ricardo Arona – August 28, 2005 – PRIDE Final Conflict 2005
Result – Rua KO1
With two huge wins under his belt in the 2005 Grand Prix tournament, Rua made it three in a row with a semifinal stoppage of Alistair Overeem, setting up his final match against Ricardo Arona in August of 2005. It was both fighters’ fourth match in four months against world-class competition (Arona defeated Dean Lister, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Wanderlei Silva to make it to the final), and the question of burnout had to be considered. But once the bell rang, it was clear that Rua was only getting warmed up, and he broke open the fight and ended it suddenly at the 2:54 mark with a stomp and a series of follow-up hammerfists that put Arona out and gave ‘Shogun’ the 2005 PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix title. Pound for pound? He was certainly in the conversation.

Mark Coleman - February 26, 2006 – PRIDE 31
Result – Coleman TKO1
Following his defeat of Arona, the only thing left for Rua to accomplish was to add a legend to his resume. Mark Coleman was designated to be that legend, but what was shaping up to be an interesting contest instead ended abruptly when a Coleman takedown dislocated Rua’s elbow, forcing an immediate halt to the bout. And what was even more interesting than the bout itself was the post-fight melee in the ring that included Wanderlei Silva and Phil Baroni. Time healed the bad blood between the two, but they would meet again nearly three years later in the UFC, with Rua scoring a third round TKO win.

Forrest Griffin – September 22, 2007 – UFC 76
Result – Griffin Wsub3
After the loss to Coleman, Rua finished off his stellar career in PRIDE with a 4-0 run that included victories over Cyrille Diabate, Kevin Randleman, Kazuhiro Nakamura, and Overeem. Then came his signing with the UFC and one of the most highly-anticipated debuts in the organization’s history against Forrest Griffin. On paper, Rua was expected to tear through Griffin, but once the fight began, the gutsy Ultimate Fighter winner and future 205-pound champion showed that he was nobody’s steppingstone. Rua, hobbled by a pre-fight knee injury, never got into a rhythm, and when Griffin submitted him in the third round, it was a devastating end to a crushing debut for ‘Shogun’.

Chuck Liddell – April 18, 2009 – UFC 97
Result – Rua TKO1
Two knee surgeries followed Rua’s loss to Griffin, and when he huffed and puffed his way to a third round TKO win over Coleman at UFC 93 in January, many questioned whether the ‘old’ Shogun had turned into an old Shogun. But fans of Rua breathed a collective sigh of relief in April when the Brazilian showed his old form in knocking out UFC icon Chuck Liddell in the first round. The victory showed Rua to be fully back from his injury-plagued past and ready to take on the best the UFC has to offer. On October 24th, his quest leads him to the king of the 205-pounders, Lyoto Machida.

Lyoto Machida – Seven Defining Moments

Without question the most intriguing fighter to enter the UFC in years, Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida has built his unbeaten record the hard way by taking out some of the biggest names in the sport. Next on his hit list is Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, but before the two meet at UFC 104 on October 24th, it’s time to look at Machida’s seven defining moments.

Rich Franklin - December 31, 2003 - Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003
Result – Machida TKO2
Future UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin, fresh off two UFC wins, took a gamble by going to Japan to face the relatively unknown Machida, just 2-0 as a pro – he lost that gamble, getting stopped in the second round. And from the opening bell, you got the impression that Franklin was in for a long night, especially when he fired off his first leg kick and got a straight left flush in the face for his trouble. Later in the opening round, he was knocked down by Machida, with perhaps only the ropes keeping him from being stopped, and he was just one step slower than the Brazilian, who finished in the second what he started in the first with a left punch followed by a right knee that spelled the end for Franklin. At the time, it was a stunning result to many, but talking about that fight earlier this year, Franklin isn’t surprised by the success Machida has gone on to enjoy. “I’m not really surprised by Machida,” said Franklin. “I fought Machida back at the end of ’03, and to be honest, at the time, he was the sleeper. We didn’t know who he was. He was a lot better than I thought then, and to see what’s going on with him doesn’t really surprise me.”

BJ Penn – March 26, 2005 – K-1 Hero’s 1
Result – Machida W3
Always fearless, BJ Penn had shocked the world once by jumping from the lightweight to welterweight division to dethrone Matt Hughes in 2004. In 2005, following his departure from the UFC and wins over Duane Ludwig and Rodrigo Gracie, ‘The Prodigy’ decided to test himself against the even bigger and stronger Machida. For Penn, it was just another way of testing the philosophies of his first love, jiu-jitsu. “Jiu-jitsu was created where the small man can beat the big man, and I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu since I was 17 years old, and that has always stuck in my head throughout all the time and all the way until now,” said Penn. “It’s ingrained in me that I believe I have a chance. I know that something’s gonna happen, the guy’s gonna make a mistake and I’m gonna get that armlock or get that choke.” It didn’t happen though, as Machida, then 5-0, added another high-profile notch to his belt by pounding out a three round decision win. Now the world really wanted to see what this mysterious Brazilian was all about.

Sam Hoger – February 3, 2007 – UFC 67
Result – Machida W3
Following Machida’s wins over big names like Franklin, Penn, Stephan Bonnar, and Michael McDonald, he entered the WFA organization and defeated Vernon White in July of 2006. Soon after, the UFC purchased select assets of the organization, including the contract of one Lyoto Machida. At UFC 67, Machida was introduced to UFC fans with a three round win over Sam Hoger that let observers know that this was no ordinary light heavyweight. “The difficult style of fighting I have was achieved by all the karate training I have done through my whole life, and for all that my father has taught me,” said Machida, whose style was unlike anything seen in the Octagon.

David Heath – April 21, 2007 – UFC 70
Result – Machida W3
Not a particularly memorable fight, Machida’s three round decision win over David Heath sticks out in my mind nonetheless because it pointed out the difficulties opponents had to face when taking on ‘The Dragon.’ As Heath told me before the fight, “Machida has a really complex style and that’s gonna take a lot of work to get past some of the stuff that he does and make it the type of fight that I want it to be.” Heath wasn’t able to solve the riddle of Machida though, and even though fans booed that night, Machida stuck to his gameplan, frustrating Heath into mistakes that could have cost him the bout. “I’ve caught a lot of flack from some of the fans who say that there are two fighters in there, and if it’s a boring fight it’s the fault of both of them,” said Heath. “But I don’t think that’s a guy saying that who has gone, ‘well, if I want to do better here I’ve got to get completely out of my style and gameplan and just go rushing facefirst into a guy who wants me to do that.’ I think some people really respect that style and fault me for making it boring, but like I said, I don’t think that’s someone who’s faced the working end of a really dangerous fighter’s tools.”

Tito Ortiz – May 24, 2008 – UFC 84
Result – Machida W3
Though you couldn’t tell from looking at his usual poker face, Machida felt the heat leading up to his UFC 84 showdown with Tito Ortiz, who was in the last fight of his contract and in the midst of a heated feud with UFC President Dana White. Machida was ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s going away present, and the whole world knew it. “There was a lot more pressure,” said Machida. “That was the hardest part. There was a fight going on between Dana and Tito, and I didn’t want to get involved, but at the same time, I was in the middle of it. Either way I was able to stay relaxed.” And for 14 minutes and 25 seconds, Machida dominated every aspect of the fight, but then Ortiz pulled a triangle choke out of his bag of tricks and the entire fight world held its breath. “I did get concerned because the triangle was locked on,” said Machida. “I didn’t expect him to do that. I had trained a lot of ground work so I was prepared, but it surprised me.” After a few dicey moments, Machida pulled loose and went on to score a lopsided three round decision. It was the win that propelled ‘The Dragon’ into the world title picture and made mainstream fans start to take notice.

Thiago Silva – January 31, 2009 – UFC 94
Result – Machida KO1
Despite five straight UFC wins without a loss, Machida still took heat from fans for only finishing off Rameau Sokoudjou and not being Wanderlei Silva in the Octagon. Machida stuck to his guns though, having the uncanny ability to make opponents fight his fight. And if they engaged or got overaggressive, he would make them pay. Fellow unbeaten countryman Thiago Silva did both, and Machida sent him packing with a crushing first round knockout. It was Machida’s biggest UFC win to date, and one that got him a shot at the light heavyweight title owned by Rashad Evans. More importantly, the fans started coming around for Machida. “I have been working hard to satisfy my fans and I feel that my hard work paid off in that fight,” said Machida.

Rashad Evans – May 23, 2009 – UFC 98
Result – Machida KO2
“Karate’s back,” said Machida seconds after winning the UFC light heavyweight title from Rashad Evans, and no one was arguing with him after another technically flawless performance that was capped off by a final sequence that was certainly – to use the Joe Rogan phrase – a ballet of violence. In 19 previous pro bouts, no one had ever seen Evans hurt and taken out like this, but Machida, MMA’s most complex puzzle, did it with his usual cool and precision. It was a master class from the new champion, and as he approaches his first title defense on October 24th, it’s clear that he won’t rest on his laurels. “This is my first title defense and I hope I’ll win,” said Machida. “My opponent is tough, a great person, very good on the ground and (in his) striking, but I know one thing – I’ll keep doing my homework.”

Swick vs. Hardy set for UFC 105 in Manchester

After Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim was forced to withdraw from his UFC 105 bout with Dan Hardy in Manchester, England on November 14th, 170-pound contender Mike ‘Quick’ Swick has answered the call to face ‘The Outlaw’ in what promises to be a welterweight war at the MEN Arena.

“I think this is the fight of the night,” said Hardy of the matchup with Swick. “My style will gel very well with Mike’s, we both come from kickboxing backgrounds, we both have very fast strikes, and there’s so much on the line for us both. I want to thank Joe Silva and the UFC for offering me this chance less than a year since my UFC debut. UFC fans haven’t seen the best of me yet; but they will at UFC 105.”

Nottingham’s Hardy, 3-0 in the UFC after wins over Akihiro Gono, Rory Markham, and Marcus Davis, has taken the UFC by storm since his first Octagon bout, but he will be pushed to the limit by Swick, a longtime middleweight contender who has matched that success at welterweight with victories over Josh Burkman, Marcus Davis, Jonathan Goulet, and Ben Saunders – the last two coming by impressive knockout. Hardy is ready for the challenge.

“I like Mike, he’s a top bloke,” said Hardy. “We did a PR tour of Germany together earlier in the year and we got on very well. He’s a fun guy, good company and I really respect him for all the charity work he does with the Troops. It was funny, we kept joking that we were hanging out, playing X-Box, watching movies and stuff on this tour bus together in Germany for a week and yet would probably be fighting each other someday. That day is about five weeks away now, and I am sorry, Mike, but I’m still going to deliver one hell of a beating at UFC 105 – the kind of beating which will be very uncomfortable viewing for every other welterweight in the UFC. Mike’s been around for longer than I have in the UFC, but his best win is over Marcus Davis, like with me, but even though he got a unanimous decision I feel I beat Marcus worse than he did.”

Tickets for UFC 105, which is headlined by the light heavyweight bout between Randy Couture and Brandon Vera, as well as Michael Bisping’s return against Denis Kang, and Hardy vs Swick, are on sale now.

Friend or Foe, Antoni Hardonk Gives It All He’s Got

Friendships before fights. It’s a touchy subject in MMA, and one that plenty of fighters will have to address at some point in their career.
With tight relationships forged through a common love of the sport, what happens when you’re asked to fight a familiar face? Which comes first: personal loyalties or the shot at a belt?

Antoni Hardonk refuses to overthink the issue. Business is business, and on October 24, the Dutch heavyweight will gladly look to defeat his former student Pat “HD” Barry at UFC 104 in Los Angeles – and in spectacular fashion to boot.

Not only does Hardonk have no qualms about the situation, he thinks that it couldn’t be a more ideal scenario.

“I am excited about it,” said the 33-year-old. “My approach is not to make predictions, because there is no way of knowing exactly what is going to happen in a fight. But let’s just say that I am very happy to be me, and I wouldn’t want to be him.”

For once, that’s not your typical pre-fight pep talk but an actual informed opinion. Hardonk was, after all, Barry’s peer and former mentor dating back to the pair’s professional kickboxing days in the Netherlands. As old training partners and fellow disciples of former K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost, the two will be more than familiar with each other’s skills when they enter the Octagon.

“We know each other very well and definitely have a connection,” he said. “We have not only practiced and trained together, but I have occasionally taught some of his classes. I have also coached him and been in his corner for a few tournaments. I don’t know what he thinks about this match-up, but I would say that I will have the mental and physical advantage.”

Capitalizing on that edge and getting the win would be crucial following his loss to Cheick Kongo last April. Originally touted as an up-and-comer to watch, Hardonk defeated Colin Robinson, Eddie Sanchez, and Mike Wessel – all by TKO, all in the span of one year – before breaking the winning streak and falling victim to Kongo’s strikes in the second round at UFC 97. Including a first-round submission loss by kimura to Frank Mir at UFC 74, it marked the second time he was unable to pull the trigger against a top contender.

Hardonk accepts the fact that his last performance means dropping a few rungs on the heavyweight ladder, but – being the type who always sees the silver lining – he said it’s created an invaluable opportunity to re-evaluate his game.

“Of course, after every fight you look at the things that didn’t go that well and try to become better,” said Hardonk. “After Kongo, what I’ve been working on is my wrestling. It was definitely a part of my game that was missing and I feel I’ve made an improvement. Another thing was my physicality. I felt last year that I needed to get stronger, but I couldn’t transfer that strength into functional power. But actually, my biggest focus right now is not to train different aspects but make it all work as one system.”

If the recitation of his training regimen strikes you as mechanical, methodical, or even – dare I say it – boring, you’re missing the point. If the Hardonk we first saw in 2006 was all raw talent, the Hardonk that’s to come – the one who sounds like he’s finally being properly groomed – promises to be infinitely more dangerous.

“When I started training for my first UFC fight, I had no camp,” Hardonk explained. “It was just the two of us is Los Angeles, me and my trainer [Rickson Gracie black belt Henry Akins]. And being my size, it was difficult to find other big guys who have some technique and coordination and know what they’re doing. Only now, slowly and steadily we are starting to surround ourselves with knowledgeable and experienced partners. Now I can focus on truly getting better.”

But before declaring himself officially ready for 104, Hardonk has also had to make adjustments to his mental game and shake off memories of the Kongo fight.

“That’s something you can’t put in numbers, like you can with physical training, but it’s just as important, especially for me right now. Something I recently learned is to change my approach. Before, I was looking at opponents and tried to measure my strengths against their weaknesses. What could I do well against that person to win? Now, my attitude isn’t to worry about my opponent but focus on myself.”

Hardonk might be taking that new philosophy to an extreme. To date, he has not watched footage of Barry’s last Octagon bout at UFC 98, where “HD” was caught in a guillotine by Canadian Tim Hague at 1:42 of the first-round. He promised to get around to it, but even if he doesn’t, so what? It would take a fool to not know how this battle will likely go down.

“I think that a lot of people are very excited about this fight,” said Hardonk. “Barry is a former K-1 fighter known to have good standup and good kicks. Me? I’m a former K-1 fighter known to have good standup and good kicks. So people are curious to see who is the better man. I’m looking forward to it, too. I think it takes two [fighters] to make a good fight, and with him being a good standup guy, this will be an opportunity where I can really show my skills.”

And what if Barry pulls out a surprise?

“I’m confident enough in my standup to fight him there,” said Hardonk. “It’s where I feel that I am stronger than any heavyweight in the UFC. But if in the fight we end up in a different situation, then that’s fine too. I entered this sport as a kickboxer, but now I am an MMA fighter.”

He is for now, at least. At the end of the fight, either Hardonk (8-5) or Barry (4-1) will walk away having dropped two fights in a row, meaning that job security is potentially on the line. Not that he’s sweating it. (After all, he can always fall back on a career in crime fighting if this fighting thing doesn’t pan out.)

“There are so many talented fighters coming up but I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I take it from fight to fight and enjoy the adventure. I am just happy to put in my training and fight in front of such a big crowd with all of their energy. I don’t think much about winning or losing or tomorrow. I just want to enjoy every day and give it all I’ve got.”

Kimbo Slice: The Proving Ground Beckons Tonight

In some ways, Kimbo Slice’s story has already come full circle. A few years ago the world’s most famous underground street fighter was knocking guys out in South Florida alleys and backyards in front of maybe a couple of dozen onlookers, only to have millions of people later catch them on YouTube.

Tonight, when Kimbo Slice takes on Roy Nelson in the most anticipated fight in Ultimate Fighter history, it’ll be in front of a few dozen live onlookers with millions of curious people tuning in from home looking for the one thing that Kimbo himself prides himself on: Proof.

Proof that he can hang in the UFC—the ultimate proving ground—among the hungriest heavyweights in the world. Proof that he’s not only “street certified,” but completely legit as an MMA fighter. Proof, in other words, that he belongs.

“That’s pretty much how it is growing up in the world—you’ve got to prove yourself in everything you do,” he said during a conference call from New York. “There wasn’t really any pressure. I started fighting as a street fighter, in the backyard with just a few people there. To go fight in front of the big crowd with EliteXC was one thing, but to go back again with the UFC, in a training facility with just a handful of people again, it was fine. It was not much of a change for me.”

The 35-year-old Slice came onto the show wearing not only gold teeth and what Rashad Evans called a “big greasy beard,” but a very large bull’s-eye as well. His hands will be full right off the bat against the former IFL heavyweight champion, Roy Nelson, if he wants to advance. “Big Country” is a skilled boxer with a blackbelt in Jiu-Jitsu, making him one of the obvious favorites to win TUF 10. Kimbo said he was well-aware of Nelson’s résumé heading in, citing his previous fights with Ben Rothwell and Andrei Arlovski.

Luckily, Kimbo added, he showed up to the house ready to fight anybody and without preference.

“I wouldn’t want it no other way, man,” he said. “If I have to lose a fight, I’d rather lose to a guy like that, someone with a big name like that. It just makes sense to have two big names go at it. One’s got to win, and one’s got to lose, and that’s just the nature of the beast.”

As far as he was concerned, the timing was great.

“It’s cool that it’s happening right now,” he said. “It gets it out of the way and for the duration of the show people get to know and realize how I react and interact with others before and after a fight.”

The ex-bodyguard/limousine driver Slice has been competing in mixed martial arts for two years now, and was already a star before becoming one of this season’s cast members. He TKO’d James Thompson and knocked out fellow brawler Tank Abbott before losing to Seth Petruzelli last October. Facing a crossroads when the promotion disbanded, Kimbo eventually decided to take the hardest, most non-guaranteed route available to him.

He chose to earn his way up the ranks the old-fashioned way, and, just as it was when he was duking it out for a couple hundred bucks on the streets, he certainly isn’t expecting any rose petals thrown at his feet as he goes along.

“There is no comparison to the street fights and to where I am right now as a professional fighter,” he says. “There’s no comparison. Street fighting is one-dimensional—all you got to worry about is a guy throwing punches. In mixed martial arts and in being a professional fighter, you’ve got to train and to be prepared because these guys got skills. You can be hurt with a punch, choke, or anything like that.”

And so after many years of speculation and endless debates across the blogosphere as to what Slice could do if given a shot in the UFC, we get the chance to find out tonight.

A little preview of what to expect?

“A good matchup, man,” Slice said. “You’ve got to tune in. I was impressed with my performance. I was impressed with everything—I’m not crying about nothing.”

Three Added to UFC 106 Card on November 21st

An Ultimate Fighter winner, two knockout artists, and a “New York Bad Ass” have been added to November 21st’s UFC 106 card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, adding even more firepower to the event which features the heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin and the return of Tito Ortiz against Mark Coleman.

In welterweight action, The Ultimate Fighter season seven winner Amir Sadollah will look to bounce back from his August loss to Johny Hendricks when he squares off against former UFC middleweight contender Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni, who will enter the Octagon for the first time since February of 2005.

Also competing in the 170-pound weight class on November 21st will be Ben “Killa B” Saunders and “The Irish Hand Grenade”, Marcus Davis. It will be Davis’ first bout on US soil since he submitted Pete Spratt at UFC 69 in April of 2007, having gone 5-2 in UFC bouts overseas.

Lightweight prospects George Sotiropoulos and Jason Dent have been added to the UFC 106 card as well, with both trying to keep their winning streaks intact in an important 155-pound match.

UFC CONFIRMS REMAINING BOUTS FOR UFC 104

JOSH NEER vs. GLEISON TIBAU
JOE STEVENSON vs. SPENCER FISHER
ANTHONY JOHNSON vs. YOSHIYUKI YOSHIDA
ANTONI HARDONK vs. PAT BARRY
YUSHIN OKAMI vs. CHAEL SONNEN
JORGE RIVERA vs. ROB KIMMONS
RYAN BADER vs. “RED” SCHAFER
KYLE KINGSBURY vs. RAZAK AL-HASSAN
STEFAN STRUVE vs. CHASE GORMLEY


LIVE FROM STAPLES CENTER – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2009

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – With undefeated Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) light heavyweight belt against the always dangerous Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua and a showdown of heavyweight contenders Cain Velasquez and 'Big' Ben Rothwell already signed, the UFC is bringing even more star power to Hollywood on Saturday, October 24th. Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau, Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher, Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Antoni Hardonk vs. Pat Barry, Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen, Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons, Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer, Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan and Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley round out a great night of fights for UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun, presented by TapouT and live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 24th.

Tickets for UFC 104 are still on sale and are available online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000 and are also available at the STAPLES Center box office. Prices do not include service charges.

Coming off a back-and-forth battle with Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 101, Josh Neer (fighting out of Des Moines, Iowa) is no stranger to the Octagon™. At only 26 years old, the lightweight already has four UFC wins and 25 in his career. He will need all that experience when he takes on Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gleison Tibau (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.). Winner of two of his last three fights, including a submission victory over Rich Clementi and a unanimous decision win over the versatile Jeremy Stephens, the 25-year-old Brazilian looks for his 30th career win and sixth in the Octagon™.

A veteran of 45 professional fights and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the highly-respected Robert Drysdale, Joe Stevenson (fighting out of Albuquerque, NM) has the experience and the skill to mix it up with anyone at 155 lbs. Coming off a huge unanimous decision victory over submission specialist Nate Diaz, the Torrance, Calif. native will look for his eighth UFC win when he faces MMA veteran Spencer Fisher (fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa). The Cashiers, N.C. born fighter is coming off three consecutive wins, including a unanimous decision win against Japanese superstar Caol Uno.

Always looking for the finish, exciting welterweight Anthony Johnson (fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) has four UFC wins – with all four coming via knockout. The 25-year-old from Dublin, Ga. finished Kevin Burns last December before stopping Luigi Fioravanti in February. Now 'Rumble' will have to face his toughest opponent to date in the experienced Yoshiyuki Yoshida (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M. by way of Tokyo, Japan). The 35-year-old with an 11-3 record has won two of his three UFC matches via submission.

Another fighter always looking for the knockout, Dutch kickboxer Antoni Hardonk (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. by way of Amsterdam, Netherlands) has knockouts in all four of his UFC wins. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound heavyweight has won three of his last four fights and could be in for one of the most exciting standup battles of the year when he takes on another experienced kickboxer in Pat Barry (fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.). The New Orleans, La. native looks to repeat the performance he put on against Dan Evensen at UFC 92, which spawned a 2:36 knockout in the first round.

A fighter that has won an amazing seven out of eight of his UFC matches against fighters such as Mike Swick, Jason MacDonald and Alan Belcher, Yushin Okami (fighting out of Kanagawa, Japan) improved his pro record to 24-4 when the middleweight contender earned a unanimous decision victory against Dean Lister at UFC 92. Now the 28-year-old Japanese fighter looks to get closer to a title shot against seasoned mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen (fighting out of West Linn, Ore.). A two-time NCAA national champion wrestler for the University of Oregon and an Olympic-alternate, the 32-year-old Sonnen earned a unanimous decision win against Dan Miller at UFC 98 in May and now stares down one of the strongest fighters in the middleweight division today.

Jorge Rivera (fighting out of Milford, Mass.) made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 44 and earned his fifth win in the Octagon this past April with a split decision victory over Nissen Osterneck. Now the experienced striker will be mixing it up with a solid ground fighter in Rob Kimmons (fighting out of Liberty, Mo.). The 28-year-old middleweight holds a third-degree black belt in American jiu-jitsu and has won two of his last three matches by submission.

A two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Ryan Bader (fighting out of Tempe, Ariz.) is 2-0 in the UFC and a perfect 10-0 in his mixed martial arts career. The 26-year-old light heavyweight and winner of the eighth’s season of The Ultimate Fighter™ earned a unanimous decision win against veteran Carmelo Marrero in April and now faces another experienced grappler in “Red” Schafer (fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.). The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is on a four fight win streak with two of his three UFC wins coming via submission and his most recent coming via TKO against Antonio Mendes at UFC 93.

A former football player for Arizona State University, 6-foot-4 Kyle Kingsbury (fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) is an imposing fighter in the light heavyweight division. The American Kickboxing Academy trained fighter looks for his first UFC win when he faces Razak Al-Hassan (fighting out of Des Moines, Iowa). A brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, The 27-year-old brings a 7-1 professional record back into the Octagon. Al-Hassan now trains in Milwaukee with Duke Roufus and is in search of his first UFC win.

At 6-foot-11, it’s difficult to find a fighter that has a longer reach than Stefan Struve (fighting out of Beverwijk, Netherlands). The 21-year-old with a 21-3 pro record scored an impressive submission victory against Denis Stojnic at UFC 99 in June and will go for his second UFC win when he takes on newcomer Chase Gormley (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.). At 6-foot-3, 265 lbs. the 26-year-old Red Bluff, Calif. native looks to make a quick and lasting impression in the UFC heavyweight division.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa™, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Viewers Choice, and WOWOW in Japan, and Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa® , The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.