Tag: Dan Hardy

Dan Hardy Highlights Difficulty For Francis Ngannou In Renan Ferreira Fight: ‘I Might Wrestle But Then I’ve Got Five Rounds…’

Francis Ngannou is set to make his return to MMA on October 19 where his PFL debut comes with some big unknowns. Earlier this year, in his second venture into pro boxing, he was stopped for the first time in his career by Anthony Joshua. It was a devastating finish after being dropped several times […]

Continue Reading Dan Hardy Highlights Difficulty For Francis Ngannou In Renan Ferreira Fight: ‘I Might Wrestle But Then I’ve Got Five Rounds…’ at MMA News.

Francis Ngannou is set to make his return to MMA on October 19 where his PFL debut comes with some big unknowns.

Earlier this year, in his second venture into pro boxing, he was stopped for the first time in his career by Anthony Joshua.

It was a devastating finish after being dropped several times in the early stages of the fight and we don’t know how Ngannou will bounce back from such a tough loss.

In Renan Ferreira, he meets a fellow super-athlete who has proven his ability to connect with massive power at an unmatched range.

We have seen Ngannou use his grappling to secure the win when he defeated fellow-striker Ciryl Gane but will this be the same version that we see in Riyadh later this year?

Dan Hardy Breaks Down What Version Of Francis Ngannou We Will See On His Return

If there’s one area that is a weakness on Ferreira’s side, it’s his wrestling ability which has been an issue for him during his PFL career.

PFL commentator and analyst Dan Hardy isn’t convinced that even with this in mind, we will see Ngannou lace up his wrestling shoes because it’s not his usual game.

He spoke in an interview with talkSPORT shortly after the first meeting between Ngannou and Ferreira about how coming in with a grappling approach may not be the best idea for “The Predator”.

“It certainly could, especially the psychology around it right. Especially that first round where I mean, it’s not like he’s stepping back in against another heavyweight, like this guy is a legit phenom. He’s a freak, he’s tall, he’s fast, he can do backflips off of one leg, it’s ridiculous. So then you’ve got to think, if I’m Francis Ngannou and I’m standing across from this guy, I’m thinking to myself, ‘Well, I might wrestle but then I’ve got five rounds. If I start to slow down over five rounds, this guy could beat me up with a jab from a distance.’

“So for me, the confident but reckless Ngannou is the real danger on the feet in this one and we might see him go back to his wrestling again but ultimately, I think that the work that Ferreira has done at ATT [American top Team] has really shored up his wrestling and his grappling so even that’s not a foregone conclusion. I think we’re going to get a striking extravaganza and really, honestly, it’s the first one to land clean.”

Read also: 2024 PFL 9 Playoffs: Brendan Loughnane vs. Kai Kamaka III Results & Highlights (7 PM ET)

Continue Reading Dan Hardy Highlights Difficulty For Francis Ngannou In Renan Ferreira Fight: ‘I Might Wrestle But Then I’ve Got Five Rounds…’ at MMA News.

‘You Can’t Really Say Anything Negative About Him’ – Dan Hardy Sticks Up For Conor McGregor After UFC 303 Drama

Conor McGregor has fought through injuries throughout his career and had never pulled out of a scheduled matchup until UFC 303. While past opponents and some rivals have taken sly digs at the Irishman, others have recognized the risks of fighting with a broken toe. By the time McGregor returns, he’d have been out of […]

Continue Reading ‘You Can’t Really Say Anything Negative About Him’ – Dan Hardy Sticks Up For Conor McGregor After UFC 303 Drama at MMA News.

Conor McGregor has fought through injuries throughout his career and had never pulled out of a scheduled matchup until UFC 303. While past opponents and some rivals have taken sly digs at the Irishman, others have recognized the risks of fighting with a broken toe.

By the time McGregor returns, he’d have been out of the Octagon for over three years. The former two-division champion lost three out of his last four fights, and it is hard to see the win over Cerrone as a feather in his cap.

Naturally, “The Notorious” aims to be fully prepared for his return. Getting back in the win column will instantly open up a ton of exciting fights for the Dubliner.

For now, though, plenty of focus remains on McGregor’s decision to pull out of UFC 303. But Dan Hardy has a different view to many critics when it comes to the UFC 303 drama and McGregor’s injury…

Hardy Claims Conor McGregor Respects Michael Chandler Enough Not To Fight Him With A Broken Toe

Hardy recently appeared on the From The Stands YouTube channel and talked about the postponed fight between McGregor and Chandler.

The former UFC welterweight title challenger instantly pointed out that the McGregor we’ve long known would never pull out of a fight that he thinks is winnable despite an injury.

“We know what Conor’s like, he’s not going to pull out of a fight that he feels like he can win, even if he is injured. I think this shows that he’s got a lot of respect for Michael Chandler and he knows that he needs to be on his A game because, I mean, he wants to get back on track, right? He wants to be back in the win column.”

”The Outlaw” also reviewed the importance of toes for McGregor to make the most of his wide striking stance.

“What we know about McGregor is that, you know, he is, you know, he’s very much about footwork, especially the best versions of McGregor, (it) requires him to be mobile. And he’s got a long stance, which means he uses the big toe and the little toe just as much as one another to keep himself mobile.”

McGregor mostly gained acclaim for his consistency and willingness to fight during his rise to stardom. In contrast, he now has everything he ever wanted from the sport. On top of that, losing three fights in a row will naturally hurt his brand.

“You know, you can’t really say anything negative about him because we know that (he) would take fights on short notice if you felt capable of competing. And I really want the best version of McGregor because ultimately we might be counting on one hand the amount of times we see him fight again.”

All these factors compel Hardy to side with McGregor for taking his time leading into the Chandler fight.

Continue Reading ‘You Can’t Really Say Anything Negative About Him’ – Dan Hardy Sticks Up For Conor McGregor After UFC 303 Drama at MMA News.

Dan Hardy Names Fighters He Thinks Will Dominate UFC’s Welterweight Division In Years To Come: ‘Some Of The Best Hands In All Of MMA!’

The UFC’s welterweight division has always been one of the most talent-stacked weight classes in MMA. Champions such as Georges St-Pierre, Tyron Woodley, and Kamaru Usman have each built legacies at 170 pounds that will be spoken about for decades to come, while other names like Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, and Carlos Condit have all gone […]

Continue Reading Dan Hardy Names Fighters He Thinks Will Dominate UFC’s Welterweight Division In Years To Come: ‘Some Of The Best Hands In All Of MMA!’ at MMA News.

The UFC’s welterweight division has always been one of the most talent-stacked weight classes in MMA.

Champions such as Georges St-Pierre, Tyron Woodley, and Kamaru Usman have each built legacies at 170 pounds that will be spoken about for decades to come, while other names like Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, and Carlos Condit have all gone down in the history books as some of the finest fighters to ever grace the sport.

Current welterweight champion Leon Edwards is set to defend his title against Belal Muhammed in Manchester, England, later this month, and there are a number of exciting options awaiting “Rocky” should he emerge victorious from the main event of UFC 304 on July 27.

Dan Hardy Gives His Thoughts On New UFC Welterweight Stars

Another UFC welterweight legend has been giving his thoughts on the exciting young prospects populating the top 10 at 170 pounds this week.

Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy fought in the Octagon 10 times between 2008 and 2012 and faced Georges St-Pierre for the title at UFC 111, so it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about what it takes to hang with the elite of that particular division.

“It does feel like it’s wide open,” Hardy said during a recent appearance on the From The Stands podcast. “We’ve got a lot of newer faces in the division now that have started to come and clear out the Colby Covingtons and Kamaru Usmans that are no longer really in the topics of conversation, which is good for the division.

“We talk about Shavkat (Rakhmonov), and Ian Garry…either him or Shavkat (are talked about as) being the guy,” Hardy continued. “Clearly Ian Garry holds him in very high regard, as we all do as well. but Ian Garry and Shavkat are two of the new faces that are most likely going to define this division in the next few years.”

Hardy also added two more names to the list.

“Jack Della Maddalena…some of the best hands in all of mixed martial arts in my opinion. He’s got very, very slick boxing. I think he can go a long way.

“Another one…Sean Brady. I still feel like Sean Brady’s going to be one of the most difficult fights for any single person in the division.”

With a combined record of 66 wins and only three losses, the quartet of Garry, Rakhmonov, Brady, and Della Maddalena are not only freshening up the welterweight division, they seem to be raising the bar to new heights entirely.

Continue Reading Dan Hardy Names Fighters He Thinks Will Dominate UFC’s Welterweight Division In Years To Come: ‘Some Of The Best Hands In All Of MMA!’ at MMA News.

Ex-UFC Star believes Ian Garry’s Potential is being ‘Undermined’ by the people he chooses to surround himself with

Ian GarryDan Hardy feels sorry for Ian Garry. The fast-rising Irish contender returns to the Octagon this Saturday night (December…

Ian Garry

Dan Hardy feels sorry for Ian Garry.

The fast-rising Irish contender returns to the Octagon this Saturday night (December 16) for the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career thus far. However, much of the noise surrounding Garry has had little to do with his high-stakes welterweight clash at UFC 296.

Instead, fighters and fans alike have chosen to focus on his personal life. Specifically, his marriage to 40-year-old television presenter Layla Anna-Lee.

Last month reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland posted a video labeling Anna-Lee as a “succubus” after learning that she had written a guidebook for older women looking to date young athletes and celebrities entitled How to Be a WAG. Anna-Lee claims that the 11-page e-book was meant to be satirical, but considering that she is 14 years older than Garry, not everyone was buying that excuse, Strickland included.

Strickland’s attack on the couple’s unconventional relationship opened the floodgates, forcing Garry to privatize his social media channels amid the backlash.

Speaking about the situation during an appearance on Submission Radio, former UFC title contender Dan Hardy suggested that Ian Garry has all the potential in the world, but at some point, he let the wrong people take the wheel and steer his career down the path of unnecessary drama.

“Honestly, I feel bad for the kid. He’s a good fighter and that’s been overshadowed by all of the drama in his personal life,” Hardy said. “Any interaction I’ve had with him was always good. I saw him several times at Cage Warriors. I called a couple of his fights. He’s a very skilled and talented fighter. He had great coaches back in the day who really instilled a good skill set into him.

“But there was a point in his career where things started to go south and they went south very quickly from what I can tell from people around him that I’ve spoken to. It just seems like his life was being guided by other people, which is a real shame because, for a young man with so much potential, I feel like his potential is being undermined by the drama that’s being created around him.”

Is Ian Garry being controlled by people who are trying to steal his limelight?

Hardy doubled down on his accusations, claiming that those around Garry are seemingly more interested in stealing the limelight for themselves than helping ‘The Future’ navigate his combat sports career.

“I don’t think he’s a mean person, necessarily,” Hardy continued. “I don’t think he’s vindictive in any way. I think some of the things he says are not very well thought out. Some of the things he does are potentially put in his mind or on his shirt by other people, you could say.

“I feel sorry for him and I feel like his potential is being stifled because of this unnecessary drama around and other people trying to steal the limelight, or create a limelight for themselves. I feel like it’s a lot of weight going into this weekend’s fight against Vicente Luque.”

It remains to be seen how the drama will impact Garry inside the Octagon, if at all, but we won’t have to wait much longer to find out.

Dan Hardy calls out UFC for ‘curating’ Bo Nickal’s career ahead of wrestling star’s return to the Octagon

Bo NickalOne-time UFC title challenger Dan Hardy is excited to see highly touted prospect Bo Nickal back in action this Saturday night but is concerned that the promotion may be doing him a disservice by booking him against Tresean Gore. Nickal (4-0), is scheduled to make his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon at UFC 290 when […]

Bo Nickal

One-time UFC title challenger Dan Hardy is excited to see highly touted prospect Bo Nickal back in action this Saturday night but is concerned that the promotion may be doing him a disservice by booking him against Tresean Gore.

Nickal (4-0), is scheduled to make his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon at UFC 290 when the promotion heads back to the familiar confines of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Headlined by a featherweight championship unification bout, the event will give fans their fourth look at Nickal after two appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series and his official debut earlier this year. Nickal submitted Jamie Pickett under the three-minute mark of the opening round at UFC 285 and the odds favor him delivering a repeat performance against his next opponent, Tresean Gore.

Bo Nickal will go into the bout as a massive -1300 favorite. And while everyone, including Dan Hardy, is excited to see how the three-time Division I national champion performs, ‘The Outlaw’ believes that the UFC is falling into the habit of curating careers for fighters who could have spent a little more time honing their craft on the regional scene before signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I kind of feel like this one’s been matched for Bo Nickal to pick up another win,” Hardy said on his Outlawed Picks Podcast. “4-0 against 4-2. I’m very excited for Bo Nickal, but it’s like, sometimes I feel like fighters join the UFC a little bit too soon, and then you can kinda tell that they’re curating their career too much if that makes sense.”

Dan Hardy Expects Bo Nickal to Get Tresean Gore to the Mat in Under a Minute

As for how things go between Bo Nickal and Tresean Gore at UFC 290, Hardy fully expects Nickal to take things to the ground within the first 60 seconds en route to his second-straight finish inside the Octagon.

“I’m kind of expecting Bo Nickal to make the most of the pressure that Tresean Gore’s probably gonna put him under,” Hardy stated. Ultimately, I just think this fight’s gonna be on the floor within a minute, and Bo Nickal’s probably gonna be able to beat him up from top position to soften him up and then attack some kind of neck (submission); anaconda, arm triangle, rear-naked choke, etc., etc.” (h/t MMA News).

Tresean Gore is certainly no slouch, holding a solid 4-2 overall record, but he has failed to make much of a statement during his relatively short UFC tenure. ‘Mr. Vicious’ is 1-2 inside the Octagon, dropping back-to-back bouts against Cody Brundage and Bryan Battle before getting his hand raised against Josh Fremd in October.

Video – Dan Hardy left in despair following Brendan Loughnane’s shocking KO loss at PFL 4

dan hardyDan Hardy was in shock after Brendan Loughnane was finished by huge underdog Jesus Pinedo last night at PFL 4. Last night, the PFL held an event in Atlanta Georgia, headlined by homegrown talent and the winner of last years featherweight tournament, Loughnane. The Manchester born fighter enjoyed an incredible 2022, capping it off with […]

dan hardy

Dan Hardy was in shock after Brendan Loughnane was finished by huge underdog Jesus Pinedo last night at PFL 4.

Last night, the PFL held an event in Atlanta Georgia, headlined by homegrown talent and the winner of last years featherweight tournament, Loughnane. The Manchester born fighter enjoyed an incredible 2022, capping it off with an impressive win over Bubba Jenkins in the final of the tournament, and decided to re-enter the tournament this year.

Loughnane was tipped to win heading into the tournament as well as being a -500 favrioute last night over Pinedo. Unfortunately for Loughnane, Pinedo would catch him with a knee that would be the beginning of the end, finishing it up with ground and pound before the referee called a halt to the contest. The 33-year-old is now out of the tournament while Pinedo advances to the next step.

Dan Hardy reacts to Brendan Loughnane knockout loss at PFL 4

On commentary last night was Dan Hardy, a former UFC title challenger turned analyst and commentor, who has flourished in his duties since his competitive retirement. Hardy perfectly encapsulated of the shock of the finish last night.

Hardy, a fellow Brit, had spoken highly of Loughnane before and praised him in an intervierw with Fighters Only Magazine when discussing his role within PFL

“The fact that we’ve already got Brendan Loughnane, who’s already won the featherweight world championship, he’s already walked that path, so European fighters can already see that it’s possible,” Hardy said.

“Through all the adversity that he went through, as well, from not getting signed to the UFC when he should have been, and the criticism of his decision-making, he’s shown himself to be a world-class athlete right now, and he’s got the money and the belt to prove it. So he’s already done that for the European fighters.

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