Dan Hardy Interview on myspace

10 Questions With Dan Hardy (by Darrick Patrick) on myspace

Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in organizations such as King Of The Cage, Cage Warriors Fighting Championships, Greatest Common Multiple, 2 Hot 2 Handle, Fightfest, UK Storm, Absolute Fighting Championships, Fight Club UK, Full Contact Fight Night, and Extreme Brawl. At the time of this interview, his next scheduled match is against Chad Reiner on March 29th, 2008 at Cage Warriors USA.

Darrick: What was the path that led you to professional mixed martial arts?

Dan: I went through traditional martial arts, competing in different styles until I felt like I needed harder competition. I had seen one of the old UFC tapes and decided to start Jiu-Jitsu. That led me to an amateur MMA event and I’ve just gathered speed from there. I fought a few amateur fights and then had my first pro MMA fight in June of 2004.

Darrick: Generally speaking, what does a typical training session for you consist of?

Dan: It depends - I do several different sessions. I do technique sessions like pad work and bag work, or drilling Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling. I do sparring sessions which will be either full MMA sparring or I will focus on a particular area, like kickboxing with takedowns or clinch and ground n’ pound with strikes. Then, there are the conditioning sessions like sprints or circuits. I try to keep the sessions at one and a half hours long and do two a day.

Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?

Dan: The obvious two are Penn and Couture, because they have done so much for the sport and have achieved so much. I respect Anderson Silva’s composure and skill level, and Sherk’s discipline and work ethic. There are lots of fighters that I respect for different reasons.

I also have a lot of respect for guys like the Cage Warriors promoters - guys that work so hard to promote the sport, and invest time and money into fighters that have potential.

Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?

Dan: Winning. I like to see my hard work pay off. I also enjoy seeing friends and teammates being successful too.

Darrick: Any words of advice for younger individuals looking to train in MMA?

Dan: Train hard and look after your body. Make good decesions and don’t run before you can walk - just be consistent in your training and be disciplined.

Darrick: Who are some of the people that greatly influenced you in your personal life while growing up?

Dan: My parents first of all. My mum and dad are quite different in the way that they go about things, but they are both very determined and successful. My granddad also, he worked hard all through his life to provide for his family and always has a smile on his face. The other person is my first coach, he trained me every week for eleven years.

Darrick: Outside of martial arts, what are your other interests?

Dan: I listen to music twenty-four hours a day. All different types, but a lot of hardcore and metal in particular. I enjoy going to ice hockey games - when I am in the UK, I go to as many Nottingham Panthers games as possible. My favorite things though are spending time with my girlfriend, just being lazy and watching movies, and eating ice cream and cookies.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Dan: I remember sitting in the back of my parent’s red Ford Cortina listening to my parent’s music. I still listen to a lot of the same bands today, my parents have a good taste in music!

Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don’t know.

Dan: I was a fat kid at school. I was fat up until about the age of fourteen, and then I started watching my diet and lost it all.

Darrick: What moments in your life have you been proudest of so far?

Dan: My sister makes me proud all of the time and when my parents got back from a two week trek to Everest Base Camp, I was real proud of them to. I think my own personal proudest moment was when I won the Cage Warriors Welterweight World Title after a five round war, and all of my friends and my sister was there to see it.