An outlaw is a criminal who lurks in the dark waiting to strike. Covering the lower part of his face with a bandanna, the outlaw represents the ghost like elusiveness of the dangerous underworld. British Mixed Martial Artist Dan Hardy nicknamed the ‘Outlaw’ is none of the above. He stands muscular, tattooed, with a large red Mohawk attached to the top of his cranium, not exactly a man willing to blend into the darkness. His stand up approach to fighting makes him easy to hit, his loud mouth that spouts trash talk makes him a bull’s-eye target for others.
In the height of his UFC career, Hardy was on a four match winning streak that earned him a title shot against pound for pound King George St Pierre. In a match that maybe came to soon for the gun slinging Brit, the ‘outlaw’ was utterly dominated, being taken down countlessly by the champ at will. Since then Hardy is on his worst run as a fighter, losing four straight bouts in a row, which would usually mean a direct exit out of the ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
However, Dan Hardy remains in the top MMA Corporation, the question is WHY?
In my opinion it comes down to a couple of major national and stylistic factors. Firstly, MMA is still relatively new in the United Kingdom, and Hardy is one of the most popular athletes to grace the sport from our shores. At UFC 120, the packed o2 arena in London filled with a British crowd, erupted when he entered the octagon to the theme tune ‘I rule England tonight’. This captivating and rapturing entrance enhanced his status as not just a popular fighter, but also as a pin up for MMA in Britain. Cutting ‘the outlaw’ from the ranks of the UFC would hinder the progression and marketability of MMA in the United Kingdom, something that Dana White will not consider as he tries to increase the sports coverage around the world.
More importantly fans will travel to fights to watch Fighting, I mean brutal fighting, fighting that involves two men willing stand in the centre of the cage and trade punches. Hardy offers this in abundance. His willingness to take punches as he lands his own is worrying, but at the end of the day that’s why we love to watch him.
I hope Hardy continues to evolve as a mixed martial artist, but I hope he never loses the core reason why we love to watch him fight.
