British MMA legend Dan Hardy has named his toughest opponent.
'The Outlaw' had 36 fights before his young career in the sport was halted by Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome – a condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast and causes palpitations, dizziness, chest pain and shortness of breath causes .
Since his last fight in September 2012, Dan Hardy has become one of the most respected commentators in the game and has been hired as PFL Head of Fighter Operations in Europe.
Now he looks back on his MMA run by naming the opponent who hit him harder than anyone else, and the sparring partner who could have taken that award at any time.
Dan Hardy at UFC 146.
Dan Hardy reflects on the fight with Marcus Davis
Dan Hardy was the first British fighter to compete for a UFC title.
Four straight wins in MMA's premier promotion earned him a shot at George St-Pierre's welterweight title at UFC 111 in March 2010.
Hardy played five rounds with 'GSP' but fell short via unanimous decision in his championship bid.
The 42-year-old suffered the only knockout loss of his career in his next fight against future defending champion Carlos Condit.
Vicious KO dealer Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson came soon after, but Hardy managed to put him the three-round distance in March 2011.
Despite mixing with the very best in the world, Hardy says he was hit hardest by a 23-11 (1NC) fighter nicknamed 'The Irish Hand Grenade'.
In June 2009, Marcus Davis pushed Hardy to a split decision in his third UFC fight. All these years later, the popular Englishman still remembers one big blow he suffered during their demolition.
“I think the person who hit me the hardest was Marcus Davis,” Hardy told Bloody Elbow.
“I remember he caught me on the chin and it felt like it rattled me on my heels.
“He had a heavy hand, it felt like someone was hitting me with a rock.
“Marcus Davis caught me with a good one when we fought.”
Dan Hardy talks about the enormous punching power of Paul Daley
Even though Davis hit him the hardest, Hardy insists that the biggest puncher he ever faced is Paul Daley, one of his sparring partners.
'Semtex' earned his nickname by knocking out 35 of his MMA opponents.
Hardy is just thankful that Daley never tried to detonate a bomb on his chin.
He added: “The obvious standout, and thankfully he never hit me with all his might, was Paul Daley. He is head and shoulders one of the greatest punchers the sport has ever seen.
“Paul Daley for consistency and variety, his left hand was an absolute grenade.
“I saw it from the corner watching some people play with it. When we sparred, I always appreciated how much control he had, even though he had power, because a lot of fighters who have power don't have control.
“Even during sparring you could feel the weight behind the punch, but he also had excellent control. For the lighter weight classes, definitely Paul Daley.”
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