Yesterday we reported on Dan Hardy’s recent blog, where the British welterweight stated he believes he will have the advantage in his upcoming UFC 111 bout with champion Georges St.Pierre, the longer it goes. Other than voicing that opinion, the outspoken fighter continued to largely steer clear of the ‘oh that’s not very nice’ talk like he’s thrown Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick’s way recently (especially by using “fraggle” to describe “Kos”- that left a mark).
Well, contrary to critics like Koscheck, who have claimed that Hardy doesn’t deserve a shot at the belt, GSP stated in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio that his upcoming opponent “deserves it.” In addition, the champion was rather complimentary towards the Brit, categorizing the fighter as a top ten welterweight, who he believes will be “a great challenge.” Yeah. Not much in the way of drama here.
In regards to the length of the fight, GSP did concede that he hopes to make short work of Hardy, which obviously wouldn’t jive with “The Outlaw’s” game plan…
“The longer a fight is, the more you can get hurt,” St-Pierre recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio “I want to take him out as fast as I can and go home.”
Nothing wrong with that strategy, especially in a sport like MMA, where the turning point of a bout can mean that all of sudden you’re asking a somewhat familiar looking face what just happened. The question is; does GSP feel pressure to finish the fight early, as Hardy believes, because he’s the heavy favorite?