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Interview with UFC newcomer Dan Hardy
Posted by Sam Caplan
I am pleased to announce that FiveOuncesOfPain.com has entered into a new partnership with the Brazilian MMA website Planet Tatami, which is located at Planet Tatami.

As a part of our new agreement, select content from 5 Oz. will be appearing on Planet Tatami translated into Portuguese. In return, some of Planet Tatami’s Portuguese content will be translated into English and will appear on 5 Oz. of Pain.

The first article to appear on 5 Oz. from Planet Tatami is a quick interview with UFC newcomer Dan Hardy. We’ll have more from Planet Tatami in the future, but this is just a start.

Hardy is a native of Britain and will be making his UFC debut at UFC 89 on Oct. 18 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England in a welterweight fight against Akihiro Gono.

Hardy is an unknown to casual fans, but hardcore fans know him well from his outstanding performances while competing for the Japan-based Cage Force promotion. He is without question one of the top fight prospects in the UK and could emerge as the UFC’s second biggest British star next to Michael Bisping.

In order to get to know Hardy a little better, we’re proud to present this interview conducted by Planet Tatami’s Gabriel Maurer de Barros.

Planet Tatami: Is your fight against Akihiro Gono confirmed?

Dan Hardy: Yes it is

Planet Tatami: What is your expectation for it?

Dan Hardy: I’m expecting a tricky stand up fight with an exciting knockout finish and my hand raised at the end.

Planet Tatami: What will be your strategy for this fight?

Dan Hardy: It’s too early to say at the moment. I need to sit down with my coaches and talk through a gameplan. We will watch some of his fights and see how my skills match up with his and put a strategy together.

Planet Tatami: How many fights do you have in the contract with the UFC?

Dan Hardy: My contract is a four fight deal.

Planet Tatami: Are you training at Xtreme Couture? How is your training there?

Dan Hardy: Yeah, training is going really well here. The training partners and coaches are world class and every session brings a new challenge. I’m getting my ass kicked every day and improving all the time. It’s the place to be if you are serious about being successful in the sport.


Planet Tatami: Talk about your beginning in the MMA.

Dan Hardy: I started martial arts when i was six years old but it wasn’t until I spent two months in China training with the Shaolin monks back in 2002 that i decided to pursue a career in MMA. I came back and started doing amateur MMA tournaments and then had my professional debut in 2004.

Planet Tatami: You have already lost to Yoshiyuki Yoshida by disqualification. Is there any chance you’ll face him again now that you’re also in the UFC?

Dan Hardy: That’s up to the UFC to decide but if it was offered to me I definitely wouldn’t turn it down. It’s a loss on my record that shouldn’t be there and a chance to get the win that should be there would be great.

Source:Interview with UFC newcomer Dan Hardy :Five Ounces of Pain