UFC 120: After Second Straight Loss, Where Does Dan Hardy Go From Here?

For those who were able to persevere past Cheick Kongo-Travis Browne (thanks NLCS!), UFC 120 rewarded them with a very exciting final slate of fights Saturday night. This included the knockout of the night, in which Carlos Condit flattened Dan Hardy.

As Condit moves on to greener fields (Jake Shields-Martin Kampmann loser?), Dan Hardy may suddenly be in limbo in the UFC's welterweight division.  On Saturday morning, The Outlaw was looking to reclaim his place near the front of the line of divisional contenders.  Last night, around 9:30, the end of Condit's left fist announced some slightly different plans when it slammed down the light switch inside Hardy's skull.

The loss was Hardy's second in a row, after putting in a gutsy, but ultimately losing, effort in March against reigning welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre.

It may seem a little odd to question the career path of a talented and exciting fighter who went five rounds with the best welterweight in the world and then came within a tenth of a second of beating a former WEC champion.  But in a league where 20 fights is considered a solid career, some chin-scratching over two consecutive losses is probably inevitable.

Hardy spent much of the run-up to the fight doing what he does best—trying to make his opponent angry.  It just so happens that Condit carries anger on his shoulder like some twisted Jiminy Cricket.  Hardy's trash just fueled Condit's fire; Condit vowed to stay toe-to-toe with Hardy despite his superior ground skills, and beat The Outlaw at his own game.  Four minutes and 27 seconds into the first round, Condit made good with a razor-sharp left hook that arrived at Hardy's jaw just a tick before The Outlaw's own bomb.  Condit literally beat Hardy to the punch.

So, for Hardy, what comes next?  A chance to redeem his striker cred?  Someone easier to intimidate?   Hardy swore after the GSP fight that he would advance his ground game beyond the sprawl, the scramble and pulling guard.  Since neither fighter even thought about the canvas Saturday night (that is, until Hardy hit it like a dead haddock ready for the chip fryer), my preference might be to see if Hardy's talk of improved wrestling can be substantiated.  Mike Pyle looks ripe both to face and give a stiff test.   How about fellow Englander and UFC 120 loser John Hathaway?   Maybe Josh Koshchek after he loses to GSP in December?  

On the other hand, maybe two losses necessitates a move a little further down the ladder. I imagine Diego Sanchez could be tempted out of his hyperbaric chamber.  How about a gritty East Coast grinder like Ricardo Almeida?  A matchup with Dustin Hazelett could be interesting.

Of course, if UFC matchmaker Joe Silva wanted to go the other way and stage another crowd-pleasing  slug fest, Hardy would surely comply.  Plenty of candidates come to mind, especially Anthony Johnson or the loser of John Howard-Thiago Alves at UFC 124.  

But if Hardy wants to prove he's more than just a really, really talented pub brawler, he'll eventually need to expand his own toolbox and test himself against varied opponents.  Still, after UFC 120, maybe job one should just be a return to the win column, by any means necessary.