• UFC 111

Hardy accepts Swick apology, promises to finish GSP

Dan Hardy and Mike Swick have settled their differences © UFC

Enlarge

Related Links

• Features: It's time for a British treble in Abu Dhabi - Etim
  
• News: A fighter always beats an athlete - Hardy
  
• News: Hardy has secret weapon in store for GSP title fight
  
• News: Hardy's built a 'great game plan' to beat GSP - Bisping
  
• News: Hardy's hooks can 'seriously hurt' GSP - Swick
  
• News: Hardy will be forced to face Daley as champion - Zelaznik
  
• News: Zelaznik defends Hardy from Koscheck criticisms
  
• Features: Injury-free and ready to ambush Georges St-Pierre
  
• News: The longer we fight, the less chance GSP has - Hardy
  
• Features: The time for GSP talk is over, let's fight - Hardy
  
• Profile: Dan Hardy | Georges St-Pierre

Dan Hardy has accepted Mike Swick's 'clear the air' comments after the American initially claimed The Outlaw did not deserve a title shot, but Hardy promises to be in far less forgiving mood against Georges St-Pierre.

Hardy comfortably beat Swick in their UFC 105 showdown back in November, rocking the former middleweight on more than one occasion with the kind of counter-hook that KO'd Rory Markham nine months earlier. Frustrated in defeat, Swick claimed in the aftermath of that bout that Hardy did not deserve a shot at GSP's welterweight crown, insisting he had been 'fast-tracked' after just four UFC fights.

However, Swick apologised for his comments earlier this week, admitting he had been "embarrassed" by what he had said, and Hardy took time out from his US training camp to put the issue to bed.

"I've always thought Swick was a good guy, and I was quite surprised after our fight when he questioned my right to contest the title," Hardy wrote in his Espn.co.uk blog. "But any fighter knows losing is not nice, it was difficult for him to deal with because he was close to getting a title shot of his own - but tripped at the final hurdle. The same thing happened for him at middleweight with Yushin Okami."

Having last spoken to Espn.co.uk over a week ago, the tone of Hardy's voice has since become significantly more serious as the March 27 showdown with GSP draws nearer. Just two weeks out from the fight, Hardy admits there is "little time to chill out" as he prepares for the biggest night of his life.

That serious tone of voice takes on an even more clinical edge when asked about how he plans to finish St-Pierre, with Hardy insisting he won't give the champion room to breathe inside the Octagon.

"Fighters are all different in many different ways," explains the Briton. "Swick is dangerous when you step forwards towards him, he throws that right hand out there with a lot of power so, when I had him rocked, I was conscious of leaping on him and getting clipped. In retrospect, I was probably too cautious - I could have got him out of there earlier.

"GSP's different. If I catch him and see that he's hurt, I'm all over him."

To read Hardy's full blog, click here.

Dan Hardy's title shot against Georges St-Pierre can be seen live on ESPN on March 27.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.