Dan Hardy was in a bad place in his career after coming off of a submission loss to Chris Lytle back in August 2011.
Hardy ended up having a career rebirth of sorts. His loss to Lytle was the low point of a four-fight losing skid. He was given what seemed to be a final chance at keeping his UFC job when he fought Duane Ludwig at UFC 146.
Before the first round of that fight was out, Hardy managed to save his job with a nasty knockout due to a perfectly timed left hook and subsequent elbow strikes. It also earned him his first “Knockout of the Night” bonus.
Hardy announced to the welterweight division that he was here to stay. He next took a fight against solid competitor Amir Sadollah in Nottingham, England.
In this fight, Hardy displayed his vastly improved wrestling and ground control. He was determined to use his new skills and managed to do so successfully, as he landed numerous takedowns on Sadollah.
He ended up taking a unanimous decision victory for his well-rounded effort. Hardy has been long known as a threat on his feet, but by adding wrestling to his repertoire, Hardy has given his future opponents even more to worry about.
Hardy is still a threat at welterweight today. His striking is top notch, and he has power to boot. With his ever-improving wrestling and grappling game coming along, Hardy has given himself a good chance to make his way back to the top of the division.
“The Outlaw” is currently riding a two-fight winning streak, and with his new and improved skills, he should be a problem for any fighter at welterweight.
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