• UFC 111

The longer we fight, the less chance GSP has - Hardy

ESPN staff
March 1, 2010
Dan Hardy loves to break his opponent's will © UFC
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Dan Hardy has warned Georges St-Pierre that he better finish the fight early if he wants to retain his UFC welterweight crown on March 27.

Hardy becomes the first Briton in UFC history to contest a title at UFC 111, where he takes on one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in Mixed Martial Arts. Champion St-Pierre has won his last six fights, including a dominant stoppage of lightweight king BJ Penn back at UFC 94.

Combining unrivalled athleticism with one of the most unstoppable wrestling platforms in MMA, St-Pierre is an overwhelming favourite to defeat Hardy, who is unbeaten in four fights since entering the UFC. However, the underdog status does not concern Hardy, himself a superb stand-up technician, and he warned St-Pierre that his welterweight belt will slip away with every minute that passes in New Jersey.

"The longer this fight goes, the more it sways in my direction," wrote Hardy in his weekly blog for Espn.co.uk. "I get better the deeper a fight goes on, and the more time I can put pressure on GSP the more he's going to get discouraged that he hasn't been able to get me out of there.

"I love the longer fights, I hope this fight is going to be the one that really gives me the mental examination that I crave. I know GSP can put me under pressure, but I'm looking forward to having 25 minutes to figure out the problem.

"My intention is break him, my job is to convince him he cannot beat me. The sooner I see that realisation in his eyes, the longer I've got to turn up the pressure."

To read Hardy's full blog, in which he details how he plans to avoid the same mistakes Thiago Alves committed against St-Pierre, click here.

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

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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