By Alex Mattis
You may not know this, seeing as we are still basking in the almighty aura of Jon “Bones” Jones, but there is a UFC Fight Night this Saturday! You also may not know that the future of the card’s two co-headlining welterweight’s will be determined. Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy vs. Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson looks to be an absolute blast on paper, but there is a great deal at stake for both men.
Just one year ago, Dan Hardy was headlining pay-per-views and challenging Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight championship. He was the subject of an entire primetime series and was on his way to eclipsing Michael Bisping as the face of MMA in the UK. A spirited loss to GSP pumped the breaks on Hardy’s rise. From there, things quickly went from disappointing to heartbreaking. In his first trip back to the Octagon following his title loss, Hardy was quickly knocked out by Carlos Condit in one of the most devastating KO’s of 2010.
Three losses in-a-row is a horrifying thing for any UFC fighter’s job stability and Hardy knows this. “I’ve kind of put myself in a situation and mindset where I’m fighting for my job,” Hardy stated in a recent media call. “That’s the worst place that I could possibly be in for my opponents because they’re going to get everything that I’ve got and a little bit more.”
We all know about the UFC hype-train that got behind Brandon Vera. We are now all aboard Jon Jones’ hype-train of glory. What few may remember is how Hardy’s opponent, Anthony Johnson, was to become one of the UFC’s next top prospects. At one point in time Joe Rogan had even stated that he felt Johnson would be the only one to give Georges St. Pierre problems. However, a string of up-and-down performances mixed with repeated issues with his weight turned Johnson into an afterthought. ‘Rumble’ last fought well over a year ago, at UFC 106, where he (amidst controversy) was submitted by Josh Koscheck. A win in this fight is essential to get Johnson back on track.
For Hardy, it’s a career. For Johnson, it’s a chance for redemption. This fight means too much for both men. These two should leave nothing to fate, and we should expect a wild fight from start to finish. As for a winner… Don’t blink. Hardy may come out with a greater sense of urgency, looking to close the show. We should expect ‘The Outlaw’ to use his underrated kicks much more in this fight; keeping Johnson guessing. It’s an overstated philosophy, but long layoffs have effects on combative athletes. We haven’t seen ‘Rumble’ since UFC 106, back in November of 2009. While, that is something to keep in mind Johnson is always so, so dangerous and can end a fight at any second.
With so much on the line, fight fans should expect these two to leave their collective will in the cage.
