Hardy Plugging Holes in Advance of UFC 120

Welterweight contender Dan Hardy was on the wrong end of a five-round unanimous decision against champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 in March. Hardy went back to the drawing board and hopes the work he put in pays off when he takes on Carlos Condit in the co-main event at UFC 120 “Bisping vs. Akiyama” on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.

“I think [to] anybody watching the fight, it’s pretty obvious [what I needed to work on],” Hardy said during an Oct. 7 conference call to promote the event. “My wrestling wasn’t up to scratch, and my offensive jiu-jitsu wasn’t there. I couldn’t threaten [St. Pierre] on the ground at all, and I could hardly get back to my feet. They’re the things I’ve been working mainly on. I’ve just been working solid on my jiu-jitsu and traveling around working with different wrestling coaches and just getting some good input on that. I came back to the U.K. real fast, and the practice is all paying off.”

The St. Pierre loss snapped a seven-fight winning streak, but Hardy has still won 12 of his last 14 bouts dating back to September 2006. The 28-year-old Nottingham, England, native has wins over Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Akihiro Gono and Rory Markham on his resume and has not been stopped in more than five years.

“[Wrestling and jiu-jitsu] is something that’s going to constantly need improvement, and it’s the same in every area of my game,” said Hardy, who has 15 finishes among his 23 wins. “You know, I’m still working hard on my striking and improving at that, as well, so it’s going to be a constant process I’m going to be doing for the rest of my career. But I certainly feel that I’m certainly ready for [UFC] 120, and I’m looking forward to taking [Condit] down and choking him out."

A two-division champion for British promotion Cage Warriors, Hardy said that while it will be nice to fight in front of his countrymen, how he performs inside the Octagon counts most.

“To be honest, it makes no real difference where I fight,” said Hardy, a Team Rough House representative. “The Octagon’s the Octagon, wherever you are. Knowing that I can drive to the venue and I’ll be in front of the U.K. fans is always quite comforting. I know I’ve got good support over here.”

Condit returns to the cage for the first time since his come-from-behind third-round technical knockout against the previously unbeaten Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 in June. The 26-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., native has rattled off 10 wins in 11 fights dating back to July 2006. During that time, Condit picked up wins over John Alessio, Brock Larson, Carlo Prater and Jake Ellenberger, among others. A former World Extreme Cagefighting champion at 170 pounds, he has delivered 24 of his 25 wins by KO, TKO or submission.

With a prime spot in the UFC’s pecking order at 170 pounds on the line, Hardy-Condit would seem to have “Fight of the Night” potential written all over it. Hardy, for one, hopes to accommodate those expectations.

“A ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus would be a nice addition to my bank account,” said Hardy. “If it’s up to me, I’d just stand on the Bud Light logo right in the middle of the Octagon and throw punches until it was over. I’m confident in my power and in my chin. But like I’ve been saying, I’ve been working out on my wrestling and my jiu-jitsu, so don’t be surprised if I take him down and put him to sleep.”