Dan Hardy
Hardy and family share the trials and tribulations
The journey of a fighter is more than the sum of wins and losses. For those who dedicate their lives to testing their skill inside of the cage, victory is often the ultimate goal.
While a select few ever make it to the pinnacle of the sport, their finest moments in the limelight can cast a shadow for others. It is a road just as much paved by capitalizing on split-second opportunities as it is with momentary lapses in judgment. In one moment, countless hours of physical and mental labor can come together beautifully or completely fall apart.
Few fighters know this feeling as well as Dan Hardy.
The former number one contender to the welterweight crown has experienced one of the most rapid rises and falls in mixed martial arts. Winning his first four outings and then coming up on the short end of the following four, Hardy finds himself in the curious position of being a highly marketable fighter on an awful losing streak.
“The Outlaw” stormed onto the scene with a brand of charisma that quickly turned him into one of the most polarizing fighters in the UFC. His first four outings in the UFC were impressive wins, earning him the opportunity to challenge Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title.
It was a dream come true for the kid from Nottingham, but it wouldn’t last. The losing streak makes that night with Georges St. Pierre seem like so long ago. While we often are given a look into the minds of the fighters involved in these battles, we are rarely allowed to see how it affects those who know him best.
“I think my rise to the title shot was, in many ways, a lot faster than most people experience,” Hardy explained. “I had a couple of good wins and beating Mike Swick brought a lot of focus to me. That fight was a late replacement because I was meant to fight Don Hyun Kim, but he got injured. Swick came in and he was the number one contender and it was my night that night, so that catapulted me into the title picture. It wasn’t my intention, but I couldn’t pass it up. I expected to get another three or four fights and work my way up through the levels where I could build myself.”
“I jumped up by taking the GSP fight, and that puts you in the upper echelon of the division. From there you only get the toughest fights, and I had no real chance to adapt or evolve. It was very difficult because after a fight, there are so many things to look at and work on in the gym that I never got the time to really invest in a solid education in jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Having an opponent pull out and then facing and defeating the number one contender, with that resulting in my earning a title shot? Those are tests that I accepted. If something is offered to me then I’m going to do it.”
Dan’s father Mark Hardy also provided personal insight into some of the factors he witnessed as his son rose to UFC stardom.
“We watched him before he got his contract with the UFC and it was always a roller coaster. You want him to win, and you want to be there for him, but you don’t want to see him get hurt. You want to support him in everything he does. He has had a tough time recently and going back to the GSP fight, he lost his granddad before that fight and that was probably the toughest thing I’ve had to watch him go through.”
“He’s not won a fight since that happened, and we’ve told him that it’s affected him more than he believes. More than anything else we come to the fights to make sure he is okay. And afterwards, I look into his eyes and I can see if he’s okay. Win or lose, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to make sure he’s safe and uninjured.”
Long time girlfriend Elizabeth Holloway talked about how the loss of his grandfather Derek and a rising profile began to take hold.
“The GSP fight was particularly difficult for Dan because his grandfather, Derek, had become very ill shortly before. Also, we were apart for the 9 weeks leading up to the fight and it gets frustrating being apart for months at a time. He was doing 2-3 sessions a day, not showering, and going straight to the hospital to spend any available time he could find with his grandfather. Dan credits Derek with keeping his interest alive in martial arts. Every pre-teen questions dedication to sports in the face of maturity and freedom, so Derek actually enrolled in Tae Kwon Do classes with Dan to support him. Dan’s grandfather passed away a couple of weeks before UFC 111.”
“After the GSP fight, everything exploded overnight. Every day for him was non-stop publicity, hungry sponsors, and added paperwork. People we didn’t know were piling out of the woodwork to get close to him in any way they could. Camera crews were by his side in the weeks leading up to the fight. Training alone can be very overwhelming, but add a devastating family death, a relentless spotlight, a title shot against someone with a fan base like GSP and you have a recipe for a breakdown. All of this is normal for a top 10 UFC fighter, but I think that most achieve this through a comfortable transition, and Dan had to do it seemingly overnight.”
Despite the loss to St. Pierre, Hardy’s stock as a proven draw in the UFC was solidified. He had officially become the new flag bearer for “The British Invasion of MMA.” Not wanting to lose momentum, he looked to get back on track against Carlos Condit.
Mark Hardy shared his thoughts about Dan’s decision to fight Condit.
“We talked about him taking some time after the GSP fight, but he gained so much attention from that opportunity, I think going into the fight with Condit it all just got to him. He wasn’t himself and he became too arrogant to the point where he thought he would just walk through Carlos Condit. And obviously that proved not to be true.”
Carlos Condit
The loss to Condit – and the unanimous decision defeat against Anthony Johnson that followed – put Hardy in the unenviable position of having dropped three consecutive bouts. For many fighters a third loss in a row is followed by walking papers. When the UFC announced that he would face veteran Chris Lytle in Milwaukee, Hardy knew his time in the UFC could be hanging by a thread.
“You can’t block out that pressure. When I arrived at the arena for the fight with Chris, I did an interview and that was the first question I was asked. It’s always in the back of your mind, and as I’ve shown there aren’t many people in the world that can get a raise as quickly as I can then be in jeopardy of losing the job. It’s a high pressure situation.”
Holloway added, “After his first loss to GSP he was devastated, but the silver lining was in how surprised fans were to see how he went the distance and battled through. All of a sudden everyone had an opinion on what he should be doing with his training, his diet, etc. When you start hearing things like this, eventually you not only start questioning your knowledge, but your abilities as well. I wouldn’t say his self-confidence was shot, but I definitely have seen a different person emerge from all of this. He’s now someone who has to validate his life’s work every day because he added four numbers to his record. People aren’t talking about him as a contender – they are talking about him as a survivor to employment.”
“He has been an underdog in most of his fights, but after his losses to Condit and Johnson, the hatred from the peanut gallery erupted. There was a lot of talk from the media who now felt he didn’t belong in the UFC. He was on blast for not having enough wrestling, enough Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and enough wins over top competition. I wish there was something I could do to show people his work ethic, his generous heart and his good character, but that isn’t my place. That isn’t what people want to hear.”
When Hardy stepped into the Octagon to face Lytle it appeared to be a situation that was all or nothing. At the official weigh-ins, Lytle announced this fight would be his last. This created all the more buzz to the possibility of this being the final time either man would be seen in the UFC. Going into the fight both men vowed to stand and trade until one of them dropped and they stayed true to their word. The bout ended with Lytle latching onto a guillotine choke in the final minute of the contest, forcing Hardy to tap and handing him his fourth consecutive loss.
“It was the fight I expected. I knew that Chris was going to bite down and that he was going to take a punch. And I knew he was going to throw some as well. It was a good fight and I enjoyed myself, but obviously I would’ve liked to come out with the win. I have no shame in losing to Chris.”
“I was feeling before the fight that regardless of how it went, I was going to take some time off after the fight and really invest some time in the gym. I want to see how I feel after that. Obviously there are some things I need to work on and I want to be more of a well-rounded fighter. I want to be able to go in there and perform at a much higher level than I am at right now. I made that decision before this fight and obviously how things went, it only reinforced it. “
“You’ve got to be really confident in your skills and in your game in order to brush those things off. I don’t feel like I’m doing that. I know there are things that need work and I need the time to do it. If I don’t invest that time then I’m just going to fade away. I’m 29 years old and if I want to take 12 months off I can do that without worrying about my prime so to speak. If the UFC would be willing to wait I know I can come back in impressive form. I’d rather take that time and come back to make another run or step away entirely and do something else.”
Ever the loving father, Mark takes great pride in the path his son has traveled. With Dan standing at the crossroads of his career, he only wants him to do what he has always done – continue to chase his dreams.
“He loves what he does. Obviously we sometimes wish we hadn’t taken him to Tae Kwon Do when he was six, but he enjoys what he does and that’s enough for us. Success and failure doesn’t make a difference because my son has pursued talents that have taken him around the world and back. We are very proud of him. Dan is a good guy. He’s so sharp and I believe this is the reason fans take to him as much as they have.”
“He lost to a legend in Chris Lytle – and there is no shame in that – but it may be time for him to step away for a bit and clear his head. Take a break, reevaluate some things and see what he wants to do with his life. It’s great that the UFC is giving him another chance because he will come back bigger and stronger than before. I don’t think he can get much uglier so there isn’t a lot of worry in that department.”
Holloway shared her insight on what she hopes for Dan in the future.
“I hope that he allows himself to step away from the critics and finds that young-minded passion for martial arts that I’ve seen in him before. He genuinely loves fighting and I hope he can distance himself from the elements that mutate it. The media, hateful fans, politics and red tape all take their toll along the way in some fashion. We will probably do some traveling, go see family, and give ourselves a reminder there are bigger plans in the works other than another loss on his record.”
On a journey filled with accomplishments and setbacks, Dan Hardy’s resolve remains unaffected. Where most fighters cling to the moments of glory, Hardy’s pursuit of a better self has always been and will continue to be the thing he covets the most.
“I’m never going to back away from anything. I’m in the sport for much more than things like holding belts. I’m in this for myself and my personal journey. I do it for my personal development and you have to put yourself in the trenches if you want to find out who you are as a person. If I look at my eight fights in the UFC, going back to my first against Gono at UFC 89…that isn’t even me anymore. That feels like a completely different person because I’ve learned so much about myself and evolved as an individual over the past few years. I attribute that to putting myself in those difficult situations.”
Authors note: After spending time with Dan Hardy, his family and girlfriend Elizabeth Hollaway I wanted to say thank you for allowing me the access. I was also very pleased to hear upon returning home from Milwaukee, Dan got down on one knee and asked Elizabeth to marry him…a proposal she happily accepted. So begins another exciting journey for Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and congrats mate!
