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UFC commentator Dan Hardy doesn’t give much credit to the technical skill of middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa.
With his regular output of podcasts looking at upcoming bouts, and his role as a UFC color commentator, Dan Hardy has positioned himself as one of the most notable analysts in MMA. The ‘Outlaw’ had a 10-fight career in the Octagon, stretching from 2008 to 2012 – including a title fight with Georges St-Pierre – before being permanently sidelined by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a birth defect resulting in an irregular heartbeat.
The years since have seen him carve out his spot cageside for the UFC, calling fights and breaking down action. In a recent episode of BT Sport’s Open Mat podcast, Hardy took a closer look at the middleweight title picture and how he feels the top contenders shake out in terms of potential match-ups. Most notably, between champion Israel Adesanya and contenders Darren Till, Robert Whittaker, and Paulo Costa, it seems that Hardy feels Costa is at a notable technical disadvantage among his peers.
“Yeah, it would make absolute sense,” Hardy responded, when asked if the winner of Whittaker and Till should be next in line to fight for the title after Costa. “And I think the thing is with Darren Till – and we knew this from when he first stepped into the UFC and he got that first big win – I feel like he’s got the kind of personality that would gravitate him toward big occasions, big events. And I think we saw this when he fought Masvidal, he was in the main event position above fighters who have been on the roster for a while from this region. He’s got that star power. And I think this is a mouthwatering match-up.
“I’ll be honest, Israel Adesanya against either of these guys is exciting. And I know Robert Whittaker had a loss, but I felt like he was reckless in that loss. And I don’t think it was really characteristic of him as a fighter. I thought he actually fought more like Yoel Romero in that fight than anything. So, I wouldn’t be against a rematch for Whittaker if he gets a win here. But at the same time, if Till gets a win? Absolutely, I’d want to see that fight against Adesanya.
“And I’ll be honest, as dangerous as Paulo Costa is? I think he’s just a more reckless striking version than Yoel Romero,” Hardy continued. “I don’t think he poses the same kind of problems to any of these guys. I mean, of course, if he catches you it’s the ‘If-Bomb.’ It’s like fighting Derrick Lewis, you know? If he catches you, he’s gonna knock you out. If he doesn’t catch you, you can probably make him look quite silly with your skills and technique. And I think all three of these guys have got the skills and ability to make Paulo Costa look like a powerlifter. Which is really what he is in comparison to these martial artists.”
Harsh words for the Brazilian, given his 13-0 record that includes a victory over Romero himself—although ‘Borrachinha’ has yet to face any of the division’s other challengers to the middleweight throne.
Also left out of the conversation, notably was no. 3 ranked UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier. Cannonier has gone 3-0 after dropping from the light heavyweight division, with TKO wins over David Branch, Anderson Silva, and Jack Hermansson. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle back in February, an injury that is expected to keep him out of action for six months. But with Adesanya vs. Costa not taking place until September, that may still leave the ‘Killa Gorilla’ in prime position to fight for the belt.