AKA FIGHTERS THINK HARDY IS EARLY

On March 27th British fighter Dan Hardy will fight Georges St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Title.  Some fighters, particularly John Fitch and Josh Koscheck, have been vocal lately about the matchup.  It seems the two AKA fighters both share the sentiment that Hardy does not deserve a title shot.  Not yet, anyway.

Jon Fitch made his opinion known while appearing on Inside MMA and again to MMAWeekly.  “I think there are other fighters in the weight class that have done more work and fought tougher opponents,” said Fitch.  “Taking nothing away from Dan Hardy, he’s a great, young prospect.” He’s got a bright future ahead of him, but there are guys that have put in more work than him. That’s my opinion. I don’t run the show.”

Josh Koscheck was a bit more direct if not brash about his feelings.  “No. He doesn't deserve a title shot. It's simple, but I don't make those decisions. They're just trying to get someone for St-Pierre to beat up,” Koscheck said to Heavy.com.

Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck have both had a shot at St. Pierre’s title, and both have come up short.  At this point, the two wrestling based teammates can be still considered contenders for the belt.  But both guys will have to continue to win because as history has shown, it is putting together a string of wins that gets you the shot at the title in the first place.  Something Jon Fitch, who has not lost to anyone in the UFC but Georges St. Pierre and was going for a record 9 wins with that title fight, doesn’t seem to have a problem doing.  Koscheck, however, who had won 5 in a row prior to his title shot, has lost 2 fights and has not won more than 2 in a row since then.

In all fairness to Hardy, he has put together a streak of 4 wins in a row and beaten everyone he has faced so far in the UFC.  And the caliber of opponent, which has risen with each fight, can arguably be considered tougher overall than the 5 opponents Koscheck beat back to back leading to his shot.  There are some fighters in the Welterweight Division that have put more work in, as in more fights, but 4 to 5 wins in a row, along with good timing, seem to be what it takes to get the shot. And once you’ve had your shot and failed, you have to earn it again.

By basic UFC standards, Hardy indeed deserves a shot at this point.  Does Hardy have what it takes to beat Georges St. Pierre?  It’s definitely too early to know, but It is hard to imagine anyone in the Welterweight Division beating Georges.  He is, after all, one of the 3 supermen of the UFC.  But the talented, colorful new face from Great Britain will no doubt give it his best, and anything is possible in this sport.  

By Lee Cox