Dan Hardy Says He'll Give Mike Swick a "Beating" at UFC 105

A war of words is beginning to heat up between Britain's Dan Hardy and potential Welterweight contender Mike Swick as they train for their UFC 105 clash set to take place in Manchester, England. In a feature with ThisIsNottingham.co.uk, Hardy talks about his past run-ins with Mike Swick and how the fanbase has perceived those friendly encounters as potentially deterring Hardy's "killer instinct" in this match-up. Fortunately, Hardy puts those rumors to rest:

I have read some articles on the internet saying that I may lack the "killer instinct" in this fight with Swick because I've hung out with Mike and we get along very well.

Not gonna happen. Guys like Paul Daley, Jimmy Wallhead and Dean Amasinger from the Rough House gym are some of closest friends I have, but I punch them in the mouth every day in sparring. A couple of days of pleasant conversation with Swick won't save him from the beating I am going to give him next month.

Some people are saying this is a big step up for me, and while Swick has more experience in the UFC, I think his best win was over Marcus Davis.

Hardy also talks about his short career in the UFC being an advantage as most of his opponents are unaware of his vast array of skills that he has yet to show in the Octagon. While he acknowledges that Swick has fast hands and good power, he's fairly confident that his striking skill-set can overcome Swick's speed.

This match-up should be highly-anticipated for fans since Hardy isn't exactly a rollover bout for Swick. As with Daley-Kampmann, Hardy has a real opportunity to be a spoiler in the UFC's progressive plan to solidify Swick as the number one contender, and he isn't bluffing when it comes to a more well-rounded skill-set than he's shown in the past.

Most people don't realize that Dan Hardy is a purple belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practicioner along with having a black belt in Taekwondo, but the more impressive feats involve the battles he wages daily within the confines of his training camp. Training with world class strikers such as Paul Daley will only give him more confidence in his striking game, and it may be safe to say he has a much more technical striking game than that of Swick. Wrestling should be at Swick's advantage, but he had impressive performances by simply using his wrestling. If Swick tries to stand with Hardy, this could truly be a war that will deliver come November 14th.