Hardy's Not Picking Next Fight, Addresses Condit

MMAInsider caught up with UFC welterweight Dan Hardy in Los Angeles as he prepared for the festivities of July 4 -- namely, taking on grill duties and eating everything in sight.

A speculative match-up that recently made the internet rounds was Carlos Condit. Good match-up: Condit has solid Muay Thai skills and is great off his back. Hardy is an excellent kickboxer and showed he's no slouch on the mat against Marcus Davis at UFC 99.

With Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick doing battle in September for what could be the next contender slot, Condit coming off a loss to Kampmann after a long run as WEC champ, and Hardy continuing to build his name, one might think, why not?

For one, Hardy is a less excited, and what's more, he's taking a backseat in the next fight of his UFC career.

"I've seen Condit come up quite a bit and a few others as well. I think it's a great fight. I really don't mind who they pick. Obviously with me being quite aggressive about picking my last fight, I'm kind of looking forward to handing this one over to Joe Silva, and letting him pick the fight for me."

Most fans believe Condit would have the advantage on the ground, and Hardy doesn't necessarily disagree. But for those who think he would be a submission victim, he begs to differ.

"Realistically, he probably does have a slight advantage on the ground if you look at his record, because he has a lot more submissions than I have. But for my last three fights, I've been destined to get my ass kicked by every one of them and it hasn't happened yet, so at some point people are going to stop doubting me and realize that I'm not such a pushover."

From his perspective, their recent records say more about the fight's likelihood.

"He's coming off a loss and I'm coming off three wins, so I don't know whether the UFC will see that as a viable fight for me," he said. "Maybe he should get someone like Davis next, I don’t know. I really don’t know what value it would be to me, to be honest, apart from being fun."

At the moment, he has nothing booked, but a fall return is his preference.

"I'm just waiting around at the moment," he said. "I think it's going to be sometime in October or November."