UFC welterweight Dan Hardy (23-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is the first to admit that Georges St-Pierre (20-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) is a better grappler than him. But he's not convinced the champion is a better fighter.
He's not impressed with St-Pierre's performance.
"[St-Pierre] just convinced me that he can keep me on the floor for 25 minutes," Hardy told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) on Wednesday from Charlotte, N.C., where he was visiting friends and supporting teammates Ross Pearson and Andre Winner as they prepared to fight at UFC Fight Night 21.
The welterweight champion dominated the British contender at UFC 111 this past Saturday in a fight that rarely left the mat. The affair bored Hardy, and he's learned a valuable lesson about where his grappling skills need to be from now on.
"It was frustrating," Hardy said. "I didn't feel like I had a fight. I've got no marks or injuries. But on the plus side, I know what kind of standard I'm up against on the floor, and I feel comfortable. With a little more training I can be a lot more offensive and a lot more dangerous down there."
It was St-Pierre's fourth title defense since he regained the 170-pound belt from Matt Serra, who took it from him in a massive upset victory at UFC 69 in April 2007.
Hardy wasn't the underdog Serra was back then but not by much. Many pundits pointed to Hardy's lack of wrestling pedigree and the absence of wrestling training in the U.K. as a recipe for disaster from the fight's conception as UFC 111's headliner.
Hardy played with those expectations. Weeks from the fight, he released a viral video of him in a blue singlet as he ineptly wrestled about at a gym. He called a victory by left hook in official promos.
The toungue-in-cheek video proved to be strangely prophetic.
But going to the mat was not a fate Hardy thought he could avoid. However, his game plan hinged on the few moments before that shot came. Instead of a few moments, he got 22 seconds.
"The problem was that my gameplan was based on not stepping forward because if I stepped forward, he would change levels," Hardy said. "So I was trying to get him to commit so I could counter him.
He just didn't want to play on the feet at all."
The athleticism and power St-Pierre is known for did not overwhelm the challenger as many expected it would. Though St-Pierre nearly ripped Hardy's arm off with armbar and kimura attempts, the challenger hung in the fight and said he was never in danger. The fight just plodded along.
St-Pierre apologized to the UFC crowd afterward for not finishing his opponent.
Hardy was left with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"I was saying this in the buildup to the fight 'GSP' doesn't take risks in his fights anymore," he said. "He knew that my strength was striking and (within) 17 seconds of the first round, he shot in for a takedown. I think that says a lot about his approach to the fight game. He goes in there to win the fight and keep the belt and not to beat his opponent.
"You can only fight this way for so long before people start complaining. I think Saturday night highlighted that, and I think a lot of people have started complaining. I don't know how we're going to get around it, because as the sport is now, you can do that and win fights.
This week, Hardy heads to Disneyworld with his girlfriend. He also plans to attend UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in addition to making an appearance at the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas.
"I do need a vacation, mentally, because it's been a real tough few weeks with the training camp and the 'Primetime' (TV special)," Hardy said. "I lost my granddad during the training camp as well, which was very difficult to deal with at the time. I need to take a step away and refresh myself."
Per the usual, Hardy said he'll wait to hear from the UFC before he calls anyone out. He believes he'll face St-Pierre again within a year if he continues to win fights.
"When I fight him again, I'll be able to step into the octagon with a lot more confidence," he said. "Not that I didn't go into this fight with confidence, but I'm convinced now I can beat him. With a couple more months of training and a bit of work in a couple of areas, I can get the job done.
"I may have lost on Saturday night, but I wasn't beaten."
