Giving credit where credit is due: Antoni Hardonk

Antoni Hardonk hasn't been the type of fighter that fans get excited about when the UFC begins putting together their events. In fact, he's been one of those fighters that has regularly been featured on the event's undercard in bouts that have no real significance in the divisional rankings. Fighters like Justin McCully, Colin Robinson, Eddie Sanchez... guys we lump into the pile of fighters at the back of the UFC's heavyweight division with no real chance at breaking into the mid-echelon of talent. We could be in for a change at UFC 97.

Hardonk has long been a fighter that many fans simply don't follow. He's hung around the lower echelon of the division for roughly 2 1/2 years trying to break into some more meaningful fights, but with losses to Justin McCully and Frank Mir in 2007, he was on the verge of being cut from the UFC. His overall skillset needed some revamping.

The changes in Hardonk's skillset became very evident during his current three-fight win streak following his loss to Frank Mir at UFC 74. Instead of relying heavily on his K-1 level striking and kicks to overwhelm opponents in the standup department, Hardonk began to develop a jiu-jitsu ground game that allowed him to avoid a lot of damage that he would have otherwise taken. It also allowed him to learn ways to escape on the floor and actually become dangerous in potentially submitting opponents via a high guard and some determination.

While some fans scoff at his jiu-jitsu credentials, he's improved substantially during his time in the UFC. His jiu-jitsu under Rickson Gracie has dramatically improved to a point in which it is actually effective in the cage, and it has allowed him on numerous occassions to escape bad positions and allow him to implement his own gameplan. Furthermore, Hardonk has shown a toughness to punishment which has been quite impressive during his current win streak.

I suppose what interests me the most in Antoni Hardonk is that he isn't from the same mold as many of the American-born or Brazilian-born fighters in the UFC. He primarily comes from a heavy kickboxing background whereas American and Brazilian MMA fighters generally have had years and years of ground experience in either wrestling or jiu-jitsu. Those fighters put the hours in to improve their standup, but always have the dominating abilites on the floor to fall back on. Hardonk didn't have those luxuries.

In fact, Hardonk has had to continually work on his jiu-jitsu ground game in order to have those skills to fend off the types of fighters looking to put him on his back and submit him. His strength in the standup game almost always leads to his opponent's gameplan focusing on his weaknesses on the floor. Fortunately for Hardonk, he has improved his jiu-jitsu significantly enough to be a threat in his defense on the floor.

Hardonk faces a stiff test in Cheick Kongo at UFC 97, and stylistically, it doesn't bode well for the Dutch kickboxer. He'll have a significant reach disadvantage, but we may see the Antoni Hardonk that nobody expects... the grappler. For that aspect alone, it, at the very least, gives me some interest in the matchup.

Antoni Hardonk deserves some credit for his improvement. In this era of MMA, it's very hard to really see the dramatic improvement in some fighters. Fighters like Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin are all noticeably improved fighters, but for a bottom of the division Heavyweight who has made his way toward the middle of the pack, Antoni Hardonk deserves to be recognized as a fighter who has vastly improved his skillset. He has truly made the effort to make himself a "mixed martial artist".

Image courtesy of NBC Sports