Dan Hardy: Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor

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Robin Hood is generally considered the most famous outlaw to originate from these shores, and like welterweight contender Dan Hardy, he too resided in Nottingham.

However Hood and his Merry Men set up their camp in Sherwood Forrest, whilst Hardy's camp has been mostly based at the Roughhouse Gym.

But other than Hardy's nickname, "The Outlaw," and his hometown, Hardy could in fact learn a little from the legend as he bids to go down as a legend in British MMA by becoming the first UFC champion from Blighty.

In order to take the belt from the champion, Georges St. Pierre, Hardy must indeed rob from the rich, and give to the poor. You see, in terms of success, skill and of course wealth, GSP is top of the pile, he is the Sheriff of Nottingham, he has it all.

Hardy, on the other hand, is considered by many to be the pauper. A man who shoved his way into the title picture and beat nobody along the way. Indeed, 'The Outlaw' seems to be a fitting nickname for the mohawked Brit because he didn't exactly play by "the rules" in order to earn himself the title shot.

Handed a tough debut against Pride veteran Akihiro Gono, Hardy edged a back-and-forth encounter with a split decision win. His next opponent, Rory Markham, questioned Hardy's power and was swiftly put to sleep inside the first round. Next up was fiery Irishman Marcus Davis, who, after a little verbal softening up, was out-struck in another decision win.

Finally Hardy stepped inside the Octagon to face Mike "Quick" Swick, and, put it this way, despite the Brit being the underdog once again, Swick didn't exactly look all too quick against Hardy.

But this one will be just a little different. Hardy's not the underdog here, he's probably among the biggest longshots in UFC history.

But he shouldn't be.

People on these shores who have followed Hardy's career know how good he is, and weren't surprised when he made his way up the UFC's welterweight ladder. And when GSP says that Hardy is his most dangerous opponent yet, I'm inclined to believe him.

Hardy has one thing on GSP's previous opponents, he is not afraid of being taken down. If Hardy sets out to attempt to stop St. Pierre taking him down, the French-Canadian will defeat him in other areas. Instead, Hardy has basically admitted that it is inevitable he will be put on his back, but he will be looking to land some powerful shots before he gets there.

The Outlaw's very upright stance will make him a huge target for St. Pierre to attempt to bully, but it could also allow him to throw those heavy left hooks that he favors as GSP attempts to get near him. Hardy has also shown he is very capable in the clinch, with short crisp elbows being a favorite of his.

Experience could also play a huge factor here for Hardy. there may have been a few snorts when the Englishman suggested he was more experienced than GSP, but what he said was true, and as he approaches his thirtieth fight, Hardy will be well equipped to deal with all situations GSP can put him in. After all, if you ignore a very unlucky DQ loss to Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Hardy is on a 12-fight winning streak.

Hardy is an extremely clever person, the man describes himself as a cerebral fighter, and he will be calling on all that experience in order to give him an upper hand come Saturday evening.

We saw Hardy teaming up with Matt Serra on UFC Primetime and, believe me, this was much more than an attempt to get inside GSP's head. Serra has won and lost against the champion, and Hardy knows that his experience could only help his preparations.

Serra knows what it's like to beat the champion, and he also knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of a GSP beating. His experience could help Hardy achieve the former, rather than be another victim of the latter.

As for St. Pierre claiming that Hardy is not a mixed martial artist, he is sadly mistaken. Hardy is extremely skilled and is not only a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has competed and trained all over the world.

Many people believe this fight could go the same way for Hardy as it did for Thiago Alves, and in many ways it could. But I'd argue that Hardy is a much different fighter from "The Pitbull." Hardy will not look to exploded forward and punish the champion in the way Alves may have hoped to, instead Hardy is much more of a counter puncher who will look to land his shots as St. Pierre attempts to clinch or go for the takedown.

Also, Hardy is an exceptionally powerful fighter, and he certainly has the power to rock St. Pierre if given the opportunity. It will be in those moments, when St. Pierre looks to put Hardy on his back, that the Brit must seize his chance. He must strike hard and fast, and litrally steal the belt from around St. Pierre's waist.

However, I do have some major worries for Hardy in this fight. "The Outlaw" struggled when defending takedowns from Davis in their fight in Cologne, so if Hardy struggled when defending those takedowns, then I dread to think what would happen when GSP get his mits on him. Hardy is going to have to scramble well and work his way back to his feet if he is to win this fight, not a feat easily achieved against the champion.

Another worry is that, despite a highlight reel victory over Markham, Hardy has rocked all of Gono, Davis, and Swick, but still didn't manage to finish either fight. Make no mistake, Hardy cannot afford to let any chance escape him in this fight. If he somehow manages to hurt GSP, he must finish, because he won't be given another chance, and I think it is very unlikely he will be able to win via decision.

It may seem the pressure is off for Hardy in this fight, I mean, it's not as if anyone expects him to win, right? But Hardy has the hopes of a nation on his shoulders. When anyone from these shores fights, it is billed as Britain vs. America/Canada or whoever. But this time it's for the belt. And a chance to bring the belt back to the British Isles is one that Hardy and most Brits will be desperate that he takes.

If that is not motivation enough, Gareth A. Davies, a renowned MMA sports writer for The Daily Telegraph - who knows Hardy well - said recently on ESPN's MMA Live that Hardy recently lost his grandfather, who was a huge influence on his career. Things like that, as Davies rightfully pointed out, can often be a huge factor in a fighter's mindset.

Believe me, Hardy will not be the last Brit to compete for the title. There are whole legions of talent over here already making their way in the UFC and other organizations. And if he can win, then Dan Hardy, the mo-hawked mouthy Brit, may be the first thing that comes to mind when the words "The Outlaw" are mentioned from now on.