Not many fighters are as brash and out there as England's Dan Hardy, with his punk rock hair and punkier attitude. Most fighters Hardy gets into the cage with are bound to be his polar opposite when it comes to outward appearances, and Carlos Condit is no exception. Where Hardy's pre-fight talk tends toward aggressive and in your face, Condit keeps things calm, almost nonchalant.
On Monday's edition of "The MMA Hour," that was no exception. In fact, though Condit's fight with Hardy at UFC 120 in London on Saturday is a seven-hour time difference for him, he was still in the States – just five days from the fight. And without much concern.
"I really don't think I need too much time to get acclimated," Condit told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani on the show. "I can sleep wherever I lay my head. I'm not too worried about the time difference. I train at different times throughout the day. My body's pretty used to working out whenever. I'm not going to let any of that get in my way."
With wins in 10 of his last 11 fights, the only setback a split decision loss to Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut in April 2009, maybe Condit has a good idea what he's doing. He's steered clear of the level of trash talk Hardy has brought to the promotion of the fight. Fighting in Hardy's home country, perhaps that's wise. But he said Hardy's talk hasn't bothered him.
"The dude just talks and talks and talks," Condit said. "I went on YouTube to look up some of his old fights and the only thing I could find is this dude running his mouth. I'm not paying too much attention to it. No matter what he says, I get to get in there and get a chance to get my revenge. ... He's definitely that sort of fighter – he's trying to get in my head. I've fought guys that would destroy Dan Hardy. I've beat guys who would destroy Dan Hardy. I'm not really paying too much mind to all the trash talking."
The fight with Hardy is one that Condit asked for, believing a win over a former top welterweight contender would help Condit's own ascension through the ranks. Condit is the WEC welterweight champion – he was 5-0 in the promotion, defending the belt three times until Zuffa dissolved the weight class in the WEC and moved its 170-pounders to the UFC.
"I know the risks in fighting Dan Hardy," Condit said. "Any time you step into the cage, there's the possibility you're gonna have the daylights beat out of you. But it's a calculated risk on my part. He's got status. If you're gonna step in there and take the risk, it might as well be worth it. When I beat Dan Hardy, I'm going to catapult up the rankings."
Hardy's last fight was against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111 for the welterweight title – a fight that Condit says Hardy may not have deserved. "I definitely think he talked himself into that No. 1 contenders spot – let's just say that," Condit said. And Hardy was dominated, losing a unanimous decision.
But Condit, coming off a comeback win over Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 in June that earned him Fight of the Night honors believes he'll get a good test from Hardy on Saturday – and he doesn't mind being the underdog.
"I love it – I've been an underdog the majority of my career," Condit said. "I'm not the biggest, most muscled-up, meanest-looking dude, so a lot of people underestimate me. It's just motivation. I love proving doubters wrong, and I intend to do it this weekend. I anticipate a war. I know Dan Hardy's a helluva fighter. He's got great standup, and he likes to put on a show, likes to finish guys. That's what I like to do, also. I'm not going to make any predictions, but I like my chances and I'm going to have my hand raised at the end of the night."
UFC 120 takes place at the O2 Arena outside London. It will be the UFC's fourth visit to the O2 Arena and its first event in England since UFC 105 in Manchester last November. The event's main card airs on same-day tape delay on Spike TV. The UFC 120 main event features England's Michael Bisping against Yoshihiro Akiyama in a middleweight bout. Hardy-Condit is the co-main event.
Watch Monday's episode of The MMA Hour below.
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