Dan Hardy Talks About Marcus Davis and Psychological Warfare

The fight between Dan Hardy and Marcus Davis seemed to reach a fever pitch when the two squared off at UFC 99 last year, but the war of words didn't end there.

Prior to the fight, Hardy did everything in his power to rile up the Irishman, and he accomplished his goal. A Photoshop contest amongst fans, and some well placed trash talk, brought Davis to a frenzy before their fight ever happened.

Right after the fight, Hardy admitted that it was all part of a strategy to get into Davis' head and earn a shot at the Maine based fighter. Still even though the fight seemed over, Davis fired back just weeks ago via his Twitter account stating, "I hope Dan Hardy dies of AIDS."

The comment was eventually deleted, but Hardy says that Davis obviously didn't know when enough was enough.

"Some people can't see it for what it is. Obviously with Marcus Davis making a comment like that it obviously proves he can't deal with the situation, and he doesn't get it," Hardy commented recently when appearing on MMAWeekly Radio.

"Apparently the Photoshops that I helped create were completely unacceptable, yet he makes a comment like that (and) it's okay? I don't understand where his logic lies."

Hardy admits that psychological warfare goes a long way, and he's become a master of that particular trade.

"Any time you can use any psychological warfare, it's different for every fighter," Hardy said. "The Marcus Davis fight was a blatant, outright, I'm going to punk him, I'm going to make him look stupid, and you're going to get crazy and lose your mind.

"Mike Swick was a little bit more fun, a little bit more jokey, but when it got to the end of the build up of the fight, he'd been expecting me to say all kinds of stuff that he didn't know really how to deal with it. He didn't know how to prepare himself for what was to come."

Hardy's teammate, Paul Daley, has started a similar campaign for his upcoming UFC 113 fight against Josh Koscheck. Daley encouraged fans to Photoshop a new haircut for Koscheck ahead of their fight, and when Hardy was asked if he would possibly put the best photo on his walkout t-shirt for UFC 113?

"Don’t give him any ideas, you know he will," Hardy responded.

UFC 99 Video: An In-Depth Look at Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy

The war of words between UFC welterweights Marcus Davis and Dan Hardy. How it got started and why this fight may not last very long at UFC 99. Who wins this grudge match?

Dan Hardy Embraces Yanks, Trains With Roach

UFC welterweight Dan Hardy considers himself an Englishman in LA.

The 26 year-old Nottingham native spends most of his days with his girlfriend in the City of Angels. Only training camps take him from the city.

In addition to his usual work with grappling guru Eddie Bravo, Hardy is the latest MMA fighter to find Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym. It's also around the corner from his LA apartment, which made directions easy.

"There's always things to work on," Hardy said of the experience. "I'm not perfect at any range, so I've always got to keep working. It's just a good opportunity to work with a guy like Freddie. It's interesting to hear his opinions on MMA, how he sees the range is different from MMA and boxing.

He also worked with Michael Moorer, a multi-title boxing champion and one of Roach's early students that now coaches.

"He's a great southpaw," Hardy said of Moorer. "It's interesting getting his viewpoint on southpaws fighting orthodox fighters, because Marcus Davis is a southpaw as well. I've got some good input from the guys, like controlling the range and landing cleaner shots without getting caught. Kind of similar to my last fight."

Last week, he went to Germany to visit with US troops, and heads back to his hometown afterwards to begin preparation for a contentious fight with Marcus Davis at UFC 99.

"It's just a perfect fight for me, and I think he realizes that his time's come with his hold over the UK," said Hardy. "This is going to be the last fight against a British fighter."

Marcus Davis On Hardy, Alves

At a Q & A session for this weekend's UFC 95, Marcus Davis spoke to English fans about possibilities for his fighting future.

One strong candidate seemed to be Dan Hardy, who faces Davis' former training partner in Rory Markham tomorrow.

Davis respected Hardy's talent, but in six appearances across the pond, four of his opponents have been Brits.

"This is the thing," Davis explained. "I wanna stop fighting British guys (in England). Now I say bring me Americans. I hear a lot about fighting Dan, I think he is a good fighter, great stand-up and a good record. I think it would be an interesting fight. But I just hope we don't do it here."

Later, Davis hinted that the UFC's German debut in June may be the place for them to do battle.

"Not a definite thing, but hearing that I may be fighting in Germany," said Davis. "I think they are looking at this card for possible opponents, obviously Hardy has been mentioned, but he is fighting a powerhouse friend of mine in Rory Markham, so it's a case of do I pull for Markham as a friend or pull for Hardy for me to fight?"

The UFC's plans for Davis go beyond this summer, as well.

UFC brass, particularly UK head Marshall Zelaznik, have mentioned the possibility of bringing Davis back to Ireland for a headlining fight on St. Patty's day, assuming he stays on the winning track. Davis said he might split his time between the States and his native land.

"I am looking at purchasing a home over here in the Summer, and were talking about opening a Team Sitodyong/Team Irish over here, so we have to see how that goes," said Davis.

In regards to the "tough opponent" he desired for a possible St. Patty's day fight, an early career defeat stuck out.

"Thiago Alves and I have history," said Davis. "I lost a split division on the score card, so we have history. We're different fighters now, that was both our third professional fights, I had no background on the ground, and that is a fight I would love to do."

Mike Swick Has Harsh Words For Marcus Davis

American Kickboxing Academy standout Mike Swick might have been the only one not cheering for Marcus Davis after his UFC 89 fight with Paul Kelly.

On the DQ list after a longstanding injury to his right elbow forced him into surgery, Swick had healed enough to accept a fight with Jonathan Goulet at "UFC Fights for the Troops" on December 10. His last fight, a unanimous decision victory over Davis at UFC 85, had been a positive step forward in his career as a welterweight. But when Davis gave a victory speech on Saturday, his opinion of the popular welterweight changed.

"I would have never mentioned it had he not said anything, but it really upset me," Swick told MMAInsider on Monday. "The first thing he said is 'it's really tough coming off a loss and an injury.' He talks about being a warrior, and as soon as he loses, he starts making excuses."

In interviews leading up to the Saturday night fight, Davis said a shoulder injury had contributed to his loss, a statement Swick bristles at.

"That's very disrespectful to take the fight away from somebody when they dominate you," Swick said. "It's especially disrespectful when a guy who dominated you is more injured than you are. I was told not to even take the fight. I took the fight, I never said a word about anything, and then after the fight, I went straight back here and had surgery. Basically just recovering enough to fight in December, and he gets done with the fight and takes another fight instantly. And he's gonna go with all these excuses about being injured. I just don't think it's very warrior-like."

Swick was particularly caught off guard by the comments because Davis had been so friendly in the past. In the ensuing chatter after Davis' most recent fight, Swick says the comments have armed critics who were looking to bash him at every turn. He felt he had to fire back.

"You're talking about a guy who says we're going to fight chin for chin, then for the first two rounds, he tries to take me down," Swick said. "What's up with that?"

Though he hasn't written off Davis completely, Swick says the experience was an eye-opener.

"You can't knowingly take a fight and if it doesn't work out in your favor, cry injury," Swick said. "That's just the bottom line."

Video: Marcus Davis Documentary

Yes, we know this is a little dated, but this documentary on Marcus Davis and his fight team, Team Irish, gives some extensive insight into Davis' background. He talks in depth about his boxing career - more than 20 wins - and how his interest in MMA was sparked much like several other fighters... watching the UFC.

Marcus has made his fifth consecutive trip across the Atlantic for the UFC, as he is scheduled to fight undefeated Paul Kelly on Saturday night at UFC 89 on Spike TV. He is 6-1 in the Octagon, his only loss being a unanimous decision in a his last fight, to Mike Swick, at UFC 85. He looks to rebound against Michael Bisping's Wolfslair teammate at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England.