Friday Night Fight – Dan Hardy vs Hidetaka Monma
Hardy in Japan, photo courtesty of the chaps at Gongkaku
One of Britain’s finest young fighters, I’ve been lucky enough to have watched Dan’s career grow over the last few years. We first met way back in about 2003 (March 9th actually, it was at the very first Submission League. We fought to a draw!).
Dan’s rise over the last few years has been down to a few things: His incredible mental fortitude, his willingness to travel to seek out the best possible training, and some incredibly gutsy performances in the cage.
Almost everyone in the UK scene is pumped to see Dan debut in the UFC in October. He’s got a tough test ahead of him in Akihiro Gono, but Dan’s got a habit of proving his doubters wrong. He’s also got an amazing style of defending submissions – he simply refuses to tap. He told me in an interview for the mag just last year that he thinks more fighters should be willing to sacrifice a limb or pass out in a fight with a win at stake. Hard-fucking-core.
The following fight is one of Dan’s best performances, and well worth a watch. Funnily enough, his victim, Hidetaka Monma, has also been signed by the UFC.
August 16, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Sums up Dan 100%
That fight with Monma was brutal. I remember walking my house all morning long waiting to hear the result. But it was a great win and showed why Dan is rated so highly.
I think if he had the same preparation time for the Quarter Finals he would have stopped Ishige too