The bookmakers say the fight is a whitewash. Several media members chuckled during yesterday’s UFC 111 conference call when Georges St. Pierre called Dan Hardy. "the toughest fight of his career." Yet the case is being built across the pond that their hero has a real shot at knocking off GSP.
Gareth Davies from The Telegraph writes that Hardy is brimming with confidence.
Hardy is an 8-1 underdog. It says it all. But I believe he has a 70-30 chance of
winning. More on this over the next ten days.
Michael Bisping believes Hardy can do it.
"Dan’s in a great position. All the pressure is on GSP for
this fight. He’s earned this chance," said Bisping. "He knows he’s the underdog, but every
welterweight on the planet is the underdog against the form GSP is in at the
moment. Dan’s assets are that he is an excellent striker, and will have to use
that edge against GSP. But deep down, he also believes in himself."
Even Mike Swick is on board according to Davies.
[Swick] has also admitted he was “seriously hurt” by Hardy’s hooks. “Dan can
definitely win this if he takes his chances with his strikes. I am more excited
to see this GSP fight v Hardy than pretty much anyone else you could put GSP in
with..His hooks are always flush. He really does land those things flush every
time. He’s a big puncher. Looking back, I was lucky enough to get out of the
first round in Manchester. He countered me right away and hit me twice on the
tip of the jaw. I wasn’t knocked down, but I was seriously hurt," said Swick.
The UFC’s director of international development Marshal Zelaznik also mentions the possibility of a Hardy versus Paul Daley welterweight title fight down the road. Are we putting the cart ahead of the horse a bit?