Dan Hardy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Dan Hardy is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

professional mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

who competes in the welterweight

Welterweight (MMA)

The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Hardy fought in various promotions such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship or CWFC is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. Cage Warriors was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Warrior Promotions, the organisation behind CWFC, is a UK management agency for MMA fighters...

before signing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

in 2008. He was the final Cage Warriors welterweight and light-welterweight champion. His nickname comes from the screen name

User (computing)

A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...

he used on the Cage Warrior forum when he was looking for training partners after a disagreement with a coach and his former training partners were forbidden to work with him.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Hardy defeated Akihiro Gono

Akihiro Gono

is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently fights as a welterweight. He is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. His fighting style is characterized by skillfully avoiding strikes, using fast counter punches and generally getting the...

via split decision in his UFC debut at UFC 89

UFC 89

UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 18, 2008 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. The event was headlined by a middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben...

. Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks. Gono rocked Hardy on several occasions. In the third round Gono pushed Hardy to the canvas and while there landed an illegal knee to the head of the downed fighter causing the fight to be stopped for a lengthy period and a point deduction for Gono. Hardy recovered and went on to win the split decision. The judges saw the bout 29–28 (twice) for Hardy and 29–28 for Gono.

Dan Hardy beat Rory Markham

Rory Markham

|-| Loss|align=center| 16–6| Nate Diaz| TKO | UFC 111| |align=center| 1|align=center| 2:47|Newark, New Jersey, United States| Catchweight bout of 177 lbs.|-| Loss|align=center| 16–5| Dan Hardy| KO | UFC 95| |align=center| 1...

at UFC 95

UFC 95

UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 21, 2009 at The O2 Arena in London, England. It was broadcast live for viewers in Europe and Canada and later tape delayed for U.S. viewers on Spike...

in the first round (1:09) by KO with a clean counter left hook. A follow-up shot on the mat brought in Kevin Mulhall to stop the fight. In his post-fight interview, Hardy retorted to Markham's pre-fight accusation that he had weak hands by exclaiming to the ecstatic crowd, "No punching power? What do you have to say about that?”

Dan Hardy next faced Marcus Davis

Marcus Davis

Marcus Paul Davis , is an Irish-American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a welterweight. He was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2 on Spike TV. He holds notable wins over Chris Lytle, Paul Taylor, Jonathan Goulet, and Shonie Carter.-Boxing career:Marcus began boxing at 14...

at UFC 99

UFC 99

UFC 99: The Comeback was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. It was the first UFC event held in Germany, as well as the first in mainland Europe .-Background:On Monday, June 1, the...

on June 13, 2009. The grudge between these two men began with the Irish-American Davis fighting in the UK against local fighters and defeating them all in a dominating fashion. Hardy stated that the UK was his home and he did not want Davis in it, building a fan base. It started to get personal when Hardy began openly insulting Davis calling him a fake Irishman and stating that Davis' website "looked like a St. Patrick's day gift shop blew up."

Afterwards, on an UK underground MMA website, Hardy encouraged fans to post photoshopped pictures of Davis in a homosexual fashion. The pictures upset Davis, causing him to confront Hardy at a UFC 99 press conference. The two continued to argue, but finally agreed to settle it in the cage.
After a three round war, the judges at UFC 99

UFC 99

awarded Dan Hardy the controversial split decision. Marcus Davis stormed out of the cage ignoring Hardy's attempts to make peace. Davis later told reporters that he wanted a rematch with Hardy in Ireland or Boston, as well as quoting how controversial he though the decision was. Hardy insists in his post-fight interview with Davis (and after the event to fans) that all of controversy was an effort to get Davis off his game-plan and nothing personal.

Title aspirations

On November 14, 2009 at UFC 105

UFC 105

UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, England at the Manchester Evening News Arena...

he faced Mike Swick

Mike Swick

Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....

who replaced an injured Dong Hyun Kim

Dong Hyun Kim

Kim Dong-hyun , often anglicised to Dong-hyun Kim, is a South Korean mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion DEEP and in the Korean promotion Spirit MC...

. At a press conference in Manchester Hardy and Swick discussed the winner of their fight getting a title shot against Georges St-Pierre. Hardy was the underdog coming into the fight, but managed to rock Swick early in the first round with a straight right hand which appeared to dent the American's confidence. Swick appeared to be uncomfortable standing toe-to-toe with the Englishman and Hardy proceeded to rock him again in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Hardy won the fight by unanimous decision and booked his place as the number 1 contender for GSP

GSP

-People:*Georges St-Pierre, Canadian mixed martial arts fighter*George S. Patton, American military officer*Gregory S. Paul, American freelance paleontologist, author and illustrator-Companies and organizations:*Goodby Silverstein & Partners...

's Welterweight title. In being awarded the title shot, Hardy became the first English fighter in UFC history to receive one. UFC President Dana White

Dana White

Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...

confirmed at the post-fight press conference that the fight would most likely be held in Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

. Dan stated in a post-fight interview with Sherdog.com that the next event in Las Vegas (UFC 109

UFC 109

UFC 109: Relentless was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 6, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

) in February was a little too early for him and he would much rather wait.

Hardy was then scheduled to face Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111

UFC 111

UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.-Background:...

in Newark, New Jersey. During the bout St-Pierre was able to take Hardy down at will, controlling him with effective ground and pound. St-Pierre was also able to secure a tight armbar and kimura in the first and fourth rounds, with Hardy refusing to tap despite the risk of his arm being broken. St-Pierre defended his title in a unanimous decision after 5 rounds (50-43, 50-44, 50-45) and after the fight stated his surprise that Hardy refused to tap. In the post fight interview with Joe Rogan, Hardy stated "....tap?...I dont know the meaning of tap."

Post-title fight

Hardy faced Carlos Condit

Carlos Condit

Carlos Joseph Condit is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight.Condit initially received national attention for his run as the final WEC Welterweight Champion...

on October 16, 2010 at UFC 120

UFC 120

UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 16, 2010 at the O2 Arena in London, England. The first ever UK UFC Fan Expo coincided with this event. This event aired on the same day, via tape delay, on Spike TV in the U.S. and Canada...

. During a late exchange in the first round, Hardy was dropped by a strong left hook by Condit. Both fighters threw the same punch, with Condit's landing fractionally before Hardy's. Condit followed up with two more punches on the ground, causing the referee to stop the fight at 4:27 of the first round and giving Hardy his first defeat by KO.

Hardy faced Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson (fighter)

Anthony Kewoa Johnson is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Amateur wrestling:...

on March 26, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24 where Hardy lost the fight via unanimous decision, getting dominated on the ground for all three rounds.

Hardy faced Chris Lytle

Chris Lytle

Chris Scott Lytle is a retired American mixed martial artist, boxer and a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Lytle was prominently featured as a welterweight on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback. In Chris's MMA and boxing career he was never knocked out or submitted, though he did...

on August 14, 2011 at UFC on Versus 5

UFC on Versus 5

UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 14, 2011, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event was the first that the UFC has hosted in Wisconsin...

. Dan has stated that he has changed his training going into this fight, moving to Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

to train at the Country Club with Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson (fighter)

Roy Nelson is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. He last competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after winning Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. The September 30, 2009 broadcast of his fight against Kimbo Slice, officially an exhibition, was the 2nd...

to work on his grappling, particularly his wrestling defense/offense. He lost the fight via guillotine choke in the third round, in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors. Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman, casino executive, sports promoter and entrepreneur. Fertitta resides in Las Vegas with his wife Teresa and three children.- Education :...

quoted however he will not cut Hardy after his recent consecutive losses (at the time) because he said "I ain't cutting Dan Hardy. I love guys that go out there and have incredible heart, as well as great wars, fight-after-fight!".

Personal life

Hardy is a fan of punk, metal and hardcore music
and is affiliated with the Nottingham-based extreme metal record label Earache Records

Earache Records

Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...

. His favourite hardcore bands include Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis is an American metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Their most recent record, To the Death, was released in May 2009 through Century Media....

, Madball

Madball

Madball is a New York-based hardcore band that originated in the late 1980s, as a side-project of Agnostic Front .- History :Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members...

, and Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood is a hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed by Shane Flannery in 1994, motivated by the hardcore scene in Boston and New York City at the time. In 1997 they were signed to Victory Records...

. He has collaborated with Deathwish Records in releasing Blood for Blood / Dan Hardy shirts, as well as a hoodie. His opening song is "England Belongs To Me" by the British Oi!

Oi!

Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....

band Cock Sparrer

Cock Sparrer

Cock Sparrer are a punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London, England. Although they never enjoyed much commercial success, they are considered one of the most influential streetpunk bands, helping pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre...

, and he and the band have recorded a version of the song together. He has a passion for art

Art

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

, rarely spending a day without a sketch pad in his bag until the age of 22 and he gave up his degree in art and design in his final year at Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...

to pursue MMA full time. Dan is also a fan of the Nottingham Panthers

Nottingham Panthers

The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

team.. Hardy lives in both England and Las Vegas with his American fiance, Elizabeth.

Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
- Fight Of The Night (One time)

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship:

Cage Warriors Light Welterweight Champion

Cage Warriors Welterweight champion

Mixed martial arts record

Chris Lytle

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Anthony Johnson (fighter)

Anthony Kewoa Johnson is an American mixed martial artist, who competes as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Amateur wrestling:...

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis

UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis

UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 26, 2011 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.-Background:...

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Carlos Condit

|KO (punch)
|UFC 120

UFC 120

Georges St. Pierre

Georges St-Pierre , often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, MMAWeekly and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for...

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 111

UFC 111

UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.-Background:...

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|For the UFC Welterweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|23-6 (1)
|Mike Swick

Mike Swick

Mike Swick is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight....

| Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 105

UFC 105

UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, England at the Manchester Evening News Arena...

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Manchester, England
|UFC Welterweight title eliminator.
|-
|Win
|align=center|22-6 (1)
|Marcus Davis

Marcus Davis

| Decision (split)
|UFC 99

UFC 99

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Cologne, Germany
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|21-6 (1)
|Rory Markham

Rory Markham

| KO (punch)
|UFC 95

UFC 95

|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:09
|London, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|20-6 (1)
|Akihiro Gono

Akihiro Gono

| Decision (split)
|UFC 89

UFC 89

|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Birmingham, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|19-6 (1)
|Daniel Weichel

Daniel Weichel

Daniel Weichel is a German professional mixed martial artist who has fought for BAMMA, M-1 Global, Shooto, King of the Cage, and Cage Warriors...

Yoshiyuki Yoshida

is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. A student of former Shooto competitor Noboru Asahi, he has competed in Shooto, Cage Force, and the UFC...

|DQ (accidental groin kick)
|GCM: Cage Force 5
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|0:04
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|16-5 (1)
|Hidetaka Monma

Hidetaka Monma

Hidetaka Monma , is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He started MMA at age of 25, when he joined Wajyutsu Keisyukai A-3 and made his professional debut on September 21, 2001 against Hiroshiji Ito at RINGS Battle Genesis Vol.8...

|TKO (corner stoppage)
|GCM: Cage Force 4
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|0:29
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|15-5 (1)
|Daizo Ishige
|Decision (unanimous)
|GCM: Cage Force EX Eastern Bound
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|14-5 (1)
|Willy Ni
|Submission (guillotine choke)
|CWFC: Enter The Rough House 2
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|0:39
|Nottingham, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|13-5 (1)
|Alexandre Izidro

Alexandre Izidro

Alexandre "Xandinho" Izidro is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He started to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at age 14 and got his black belt at 20. He is a member of Brazilian Top Team and competes in the Lightweight division...

Forrest Petz

Forrest Petz is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Petz is a Ultimate Fighting Championships veteran formerly competing in their welterweight division...

Canton, Ohio

Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11-3 (1)
|Diego Gonzalez
|TKO (doctor stoppage)
|CWFC: Strike Force 5
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|0:19
|Coventry, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10-3 (1)
|Matt Thorpe
|Decision (split)
|CWFC: Strike Force 4
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Coventry, England
|
|-
| NC
|align=center|9-3 (1)
|Diego Gonzalez
|No Contest
|CWFC: Strike Force 3
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:19
|Coventry, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-3
|Sami Berik

Sami Berik

Sami Berik is a Turkish professional mixed martial artist who is a Cage Rage veteran, and has competed in the Cage Rage Contenders series. Berik has fought current Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Dan Hardy, Terry Etim, and Ross Pearson...

|Decision (unanimous)
|CWFC: Quest 3
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Sheffield, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-3
|Lautaro Arborelo
|TKO (punches)
|CWFC: Strike Force 2
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|3:52
|Coventry, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-3
|Alexandre Izidro

Alexandre Izidro

Pat Healy (fighter)

Patrick Healy is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. Currently, Healy is signed with Strikeforce, holding a 4–1 record inside the promotion...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-1
|Andy Melia
|Submission (punches)
|CWFC 8: Brutal Force
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|3:55
|Sheffield, England
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-1
|Paul Jenkins

Paul Jenkins (fighter)

Paul "Hands of Stone" Jenkins is a mixed martial arts fighter. He is a former Cage Rage World Middleweight Champion and British Welterweight Champion.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Title aspirations

Post-title fight

Personal life

Mixed martial arts record

See also