UFC on Versus 5 Fight Card: How Bad Does Dan Hardy Need This Win?

Come August 14 at UFC on Versus 5, the UFC's law of the land might finally catch up to "The Outlaw" and if that's the case, Dan Hardy's time in the UFC would most definitely be up.

A former number one contender for the UFC Welterweight championship, the brash and charismatic Englishman could be staring at what could potentially be his fourth loss in a row in the UFC, should he lose to Chris Lytle in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Starting out 3-0 in the UFC after competing for some time in shows in Japan, Holland and his hometown England, Hardy solidified number one contender status with a decisive victory over favorite Mike Swick, in which he showcased superior striking against the American Kickboxing Academy standout.

A fan favorite in England and arguably the most popular English mixed martial artist, save for Michael Bisping, Hardy became the first Englishman to earn a title shot in the UFC.

However, when he faced UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, he was thoroughly man handled on the ground, despite showing great tenacity when it came to resisting submissions.

The loss, while decisive, earned Hardy the respect of the champ, his peers and the UFC.

Come UFC 120 though, he was handed his second consecutive loss by Carlos Condit, in a spectacular knockout finish, which saw him finished in front of the London, England, crowd.

Opting to challenge himself, he took a fight with massive welterweight Anthony Johnson five months later and was again exposed on the ground, where Johnson utilized his wrestling to control Hardy through the entirety of the bout.

Now Hardy is looking to pull off a Tito Ortiz-style comeback against Lytle in what is a do-or-die fight for Hardy, who has already defied the laws of UFC nature by becoming one of the rare exceptions to the "three losses in a row and you're out" rule.

For Hardy though, the main event in Milwaukee represents the true extent of the UFC's generosity, because, in spite of how popular Hardy is and how devastating his left hook may be, the UFC houses boasts only the most talented pool of fighters and a guy who loses three in a row, let alone four doesn't have a place on the roster.

Its understandable though that Hardy has been able to maintain his place in the welterweight division.

He's brilliant at selling the fight and has the mental and physical toughness to back it up.

His striking is on point and his never-back-down mentality is an attribute welcomed in the UFC and only adds to his popularity.

In the end though, that really might be his downfall.

Taking the fight against the larger, stronger and more dominant wrestler in Johnson was a reality check for Hardy and a reminder that in a division seemingly ruled by wrestlers, you have to have at least some form of a ground game.

At 29, Hardy is hardly old by the sport's standards and has plenty of gas left in the tank; however, to survive on the sport's biggest stage, he needs more to get by on than just a nice left and a few clever words.

So come August 14, "The Outlaw" will face what could be considered one of the toughest challenges of his career.

Back against the wall, he will be facing a fighter in Lytle a five time Fight of the Night winner and a man who, despite being seven years the elder of him, is equally as tough.

Hardy is more than capable of besting Lytle, especially since Lytle would be more than happy to oblige him and stand toe to toe, however, when Condit did the same, it backfired for Hardy.

So it seems that Hardy, who seems to embrace being an underdog and coming back from adversity has a tough road ahead of him.

If this is the last fight for the Englishman though, then he chose a spectacular fight to go out in and if it isn't, then he picked a great fight to start his comeback with.

Either way, if there's one thing to count on, its that "The Outlaw" will definitely come out guns blazing.