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Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy victorious in his UFC debut
20 Oct 2008
Nottingham welterweight Dan ‘The
Outlaw’ Hardy did the necessary revision and research to solve the
Rubik’s Cube that is Akihiro Gono tonight at the National Indoor Arena
in Birmingham, England. Falling narrowly short of an A-grade for his
efforts, Hardy did pick up a priceless split-decision verdict in the
UFC 89 prelim bout, kicking off his massively promising UFC career in
fine style. Former PRIDE veteran Gono, known to all mixed martial arts
enthusiasts as one of the trickiest and cagiest competitors around,
simply couldn’t set enough traps over the course of three fiercely
competitive rounds to sway the verdict his way.
Charged by an electric home crowd, Hardy displayed all the improvements
he’d promised in the weeks leading up to the bout. His stand-up was
crisp, his patience and composure was evident, and, perhaps more
pivotally, he managed to wreck the few attempts Gono made at getting
things to the floor.
While the Hardy of old may have been overwhelmed by Gono’s accurate
counter-shots or his savvy skills on the ground, this new version made
the right choices at the right time to ensure complete control.
In
the opening round he got the better of things via hard leg-kicks and
occasional punches as Gono backed up and beckoned the younger man in.
Despite his best intentions, Hardy often fell short with shots or
simply missed the target as Gono exhibited all his famed slickness and
defensive nuances. At times, the Japanese star would look like a
world-class boxer, slipping and sliding Hardy’s shots with his back
against the Octagon and seemingly nowhere to manoeuvre.
However,
while Hardy missed with many, he also landed many. Moreover, he looked
to land many. On the flipside, Gono, ever the showman and ever the
crafty counter-puncher, simply failed to work enough over the long haul
to expect any favours. He landed some beautifully timed left-hooks in
the first round and a couple of spiteful counter rights in the second
but, save for sporadic success, simply failed to commit himself enough
to gaining control of the fight.
Often, the three-round bout
resembled a lesson. A masterclass. The veteran Gono, 34, against the
starry-eyed pupil Hardy, 26 and only just starting out on his road to,
he hopes, UFC championship success. Though never fully exerting himself
enough to grab control of events, Gono did enough to teach Hardy a
trick or two. He made Hardy’s stand-up work look predictable at times
and lured the Nottingham standout into a few traps he wished he’d
stayed clear of.
Ultimately, though, it was Hardy’s desire
and, crucially, his improvements – structured over a key four-month
preparation – that helped bag the win. He kicked at the right time and
he punched at the right time. When Gono became desperate in the final
round and attempted to drag Hardy to the floor, Dan showed impressive
composure and slickness to get back to his feet in a matter of seconds.
After all, there was no time to mess about with a wily competitor like
Gono.
Game plan executed and first UFC bout out the way, Hardy
walked away a narrow albeit thoroughly deserved winner via scores of
29-28 (twice) to Gono’s 29-28.
Props UFC.COM
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