Hardy, Weichel to Meet in England
Promoter Paul Murphy has scheduled 11 bouts for the ninth edition
of the popular Ultimate Force series set for Saturday in Doncaster,
England, but perhaps the most intriguing matchup was only added at
the eleventh hour.
In a welterweight encounter, Dan Hardy (Pictures) -- currently ranked second in Europe at 170 pounds -- will square off against German submission expert Daniel Weichel, ranked 10th.
The 25-year-old Brit was only a low-blow shy of making the UFC this year when he accidentally kicked Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures) below the belt in the final of last year's Cage Force tournament. Promoter GCM had promised the winner a shot in the big leagues. Hardy's disqualification ended that hope for the time being, but the Team Rough House fighter enjoyed a tremendous run in the tournament, defeating former King of Pancrase Daizo Ishige (Pictures) and grappling wizard Hidetaka Monma (Pictures).
Most recently Hardy (18-6) stopped Chad Reiner (Pictures) on April 19.
"As soon as I got back to the dressing room after my last fight, I felt ready to fight again," he said. "I've been training and feel better now than I did a couple of weeks ago. It's gonna be a great fight. Respect to Daniel for taking the fight. Personally I think he is crazy though."
Weichel, two years younger than Hardy, knows all about tournaments as well. In 2005, at 19, he won the prestigious European Vale Tudo Middleweight Grand Prix.
The jiu-jitsu expert from Bad König at the gates of Darmstadt, Germany, has also beaten Cage Rage British lightweight champion Abdul Mohamed (Pictures) and submitted UFC veteran Dennis Siver (Pictures).
"Getting knocked out by Paul Daley (Pictures) and Jason Jones in my last two big fights wasn't pretty, but it has been an incentive to me to work even harder in the gym," said Weichel, 15-4. "I am not afraid of anybody, which can be seen by the fact that I'm coming to Hardy's backyard to fight him."
Also on the card at the 3,000-seat Doncaster Dome is a heavyweight title fight between Georgian sambo stylist Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures) and English slugger Martin Thompson (Pictures) (no relation to compatriot James Thompson (Pictures)). Talented 170-pounders Jason Ball and Leslee Ojugbana (Pictures) will also duke it out for the welterweight title.
In a welterweight encounter, Dan Hardy (Pictures) -- currently ranked second in Europe at 170 pounds -- will square off against German submission expert Daniel Weichel, ranked 10th.
The 25-year-old Brit was only a low-blow shy of making the UFC this year when he accidentally kicked Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures) below the belt in the final of last year's Cage Force tournament. Promoter GCM had promised the winner a shot in the big leagues. Hardy's disqualification ended that hope for the time being, but the Team Rough House fighter enjoyed a tremendous run in the tournament, defeating former King of Pancrase Daizo Ishige (Pictures) and grappling wizard Hidetaka Monma (Pictures).
Most recently Hardy (18-6) stopped Chad Reiner (Pictures) on April 19.
"As soon as I got back to the dressing room after my last fight, I felt ready to fight again," he said. "I've been training and feel better now than I did a couple of weeks ago. It's gonna be a great fight. Respect to Daniel for taking the fight. Personally I think he is crazy though."
Weichel, two years younger than Hardy, knows all about tournaments as well. In 2005, at 19, he won the prestigious European Vale Tudo Middleweight Grand Prix.
The jiu-jitsu expert from Bad König at the gates of Darmstadt, Germany, has also beaten Cage Rage British lightweight champion Abdul Mohamed (Pictures) and submitted UFC veteran Dennis Siver (Pictures).
"Getting knocked out by Paul Daley (Pictures) and Jason Jones in my last two big fights wasn't pretty, but it has been an incentive to me to work even harder in the gym," said Weichel, 15-4. "I am not afraid of anybody, which can be seen by the fact that I'm coming to Hardy's backyard to fight him."
Also on the card at the 3,000-seat Doncaster Dome is a heavyweight title fight between Georgian sambo stylist Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures) and English slugger Martin Thompson (Pictures) (no relation to compatriot James Thompson (Pictures)). Talented 170-pounders Jason Ball and Leslee Ojugbana (Pictures) will also duke it out for the welterweight title.
