JRE MMA Show 178 with Dan Hardy
In a Nutshell
Dan Hardy recounts his UFC exit after publicly criticizing Herb Dean's late stoppage in Jai Herbert's fight, emphasizing fighter safety via fencing response signs and referee training needs, while critiquing weight cutting's dangers and UFC's monopolization stifling grassroots MMA growth. They explore MMA evolution—from early chaos and ego-driven errors to elite striking setups, psychological warfare (e.g., McGregor vs. Aldo), undiscovered techniques like Scottish Twister, and proposals for more weight classes, masters divisions, and rule tweaks like ground knees. Hardy shares PFL Europe insights, praising fair matchmaking and pushing for Muay Thai/spin-offs, alongside Rogan's commentary origins and shared passions for psychedelics, coaching evolution, and comedy's role against censorship.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Dan Hardy wears moldavite around his neck, a green tectite formed when a meteorite hit in the Czech Republic millions of years ago, creating nuclear glass from earth matter falling back down. His wife made the case, wrapped in his dad's old chain. Joe Rogan shows interest, calls it dope.
Hardy previously wore moldavite in an old Thai amulet, replacing butter, wrapped in UFC canvas from UFC London featuring Voom Vulov's blood after his nose was busted. Canvas was quarantined 12 months as a biohazard before given to him. Rogan questions blood testing and logic; Hardy speculates rules or fear, notes UFC now incinerates most but keeps named pieces. Hardy has a full canvas on his house wall, moved from gym.
Rogan asks about Hardy's UFC exit, recalls issue with Herb Dean over late stoppage during Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo at Fight Island 3. Heavyweight fight earlier that night also had excessive shots. Hardy yelled "stop the fight"; arena silent due to quarantine, audible on broadcast. Previously yelled at Herb in Moscow for CB Dollaway fight.
Herbert fell unnaturally, arms stretched out looking at lights—indicating he was out. Trinaldo stood over, landing more shots. Hardy and Paul Felder yelled; Herb looked at Hardy through cage, pointed to shut up. Miscommunication: UFC thought Hardy left desk to cage, but Herb approached Hardy's plexiglass-separated desk. Post-fight, brief cool talk; Hardy respected Herb but said stoppage too late, second of night.
Production confronted Hardy backstage about approaching Herb (incorrect narrative). Coincided with UAE Warriors incident where someone pushed Marc Goddard. Dana White's statement on approaching officials linked to that but bundled with Hardy. Herb posted airport video poking at Hardy ("smartest guy in room"), frustrating him on flight home.
Hardy made 1:15-hour YouTube video analyzing incident, fencing response (concussion symptom: arms up like boxer, seen in newborns, K1, football, Marlon Moraes), other Herb examples:
- Cowboy Cerrone vs. Masvidal: Herb waved off end of round (Cowboy down, helped to stool unconscious, TKO'd next round).
- Robbie Lawler vs. Ben Askren: Not stopped early; Lawler arm fell briefly.
Gave context: Fight Island fatigue, quarantine testing, odd hours. UFC contacted YouTube to delete video (now gray square with dots), despite prior permission for UFC footage in war rooms. Hardy was Europe ambassador, creating content to promote MMA, employed Raptors team.
UFC pulled support after Hardy posted independently. Card marked for protecting fighter over protocol. Moscow CB Dollaway vs. Mairon Chiv (1:15 fetal position pounding, Herb stood over corpse-like fighter end of round; even Dollaway felt unprotected). 25,000 crowd masked Hardy's yells then.
Post-ESPN desk (5 AM, ragged Fight Island), staffer aggressively confronted Hardy ("can't approach official"), spiking adrenaline. Hardy corrected facts (Herb approached him). Loved the guy, just heightened energy/misinfo.
Hardy prioritizes fighter safety over job: fighters are sons/daughters/fathers/brothers; referees protect post-knockdown. Wants full commitment knowing referee intervenes.
Herb Dean refereed. Silva flying knee, hopped on cage celebrating (buzzer sounded, mouthpiece out, Bisping blind in right eye signaling for it, last 20 seconds). Herb clear: fight not over, Silva at fault for not following up responsibly. Bisping gangster, dominated last 10 minutes post-adrenaline dump. Post-leg break Silva.
ZipRecruiter ad.
Herb's end-round wave habit signals fight off, not round end. Must separate fighters without touching downed one.
Hardy learned fencing response post-Herbert (arms fling out on concussion, e.g., K1 kick, football). Wants referees/judges trained on concussion tells.
Had lots of different versions of fencing response from K1 to football to rugby. It's a tell of concussion. Consciousness is not removed immediately with every punch; everything's on a spectrum from completely conscious to completely unconscious. The window where the fight needs to be stopped is 5-10% toward the end of that spectrum, where someone is unable to defend themselves or not intelligently defending. It's very subjective. Referees stopping too early is frustrating; seen many instances, but also cases where fights looked stoppable yet fighters came back to win, like Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard.
What great fights. Crazy fights. In the one Frankie won by KO, Gray looked out three times in the first round. Gray Maynard was a beast, big strong powerful wrestler, really big for 155. Frankie famously did not cut weight; fought at 155 weighing maybe 160 if that, just fast and very durable.
Hate weight cutting; it's sanctioned cheating. Should have eliminated it long ago. ONE FC hasn't figured it out either; ingrained in culture. Suggest random USADA-style weigh-ins: "Hey Dan, get on the scale." Even if eating, what do you weigh? Fighting 155 but weigh 190? Crazy, four weeks into camp, tighten up diet? No. Anthony Johnson weighed 214 on fight night vs. Dan Hardy; both weighed in at 171 before IVs. Destroys you, impacted his health problems. Ran into him at hotel lobby: weighed 230, built like a house, stack dude. Big muscular guys cut more because muscle holds more water. Horrible. Izzy landed perfect punch on Pereira, but Pereira at middleweight couldn't take shots like at light heavyweight due to dehydration. Pereira weighed in 40 lbs lighter than fight night, 226 on fight night.
Dan got up to 186-188 cutting to 170; felt like a lot, fairly big for class. Invested in getting bigger/stronger. Before UFC, fought 10-12 times a year, stayed close to weight, within 10 lbs. In Japan, couldn't use sauna due to tattoos; got kicked out of hotel gym for exposed tattoos, had to wear long sleeve. Yakuza association. No portable saunas then; now hot boxes, blankets good. Veronica used blankets last cuts. Hot baths newer; no one did in Dan's day—workout, run, sauna only. Tried hot bath once, didn't like; psychological, hot bath was post-fight reward. Wanted to feel like feral animal pre-fight: cold showers. Weight cut was march to battlefield, suffering process: hot sauna, cold shower, treadmill pads, trash bags old school Tokyo way. Cut 7 lbs before Daizo fight (Cage Force 2007), king of Pancrase, favorite in tournament, pulled in first round. Should have stopped him first round but lacked power; he passed out post-fight, brain bleed, retired. If cut better or not at all and rehydrated, could have finished earlier, saved brain damage. Third round like bad dream, punching but no power, repeated subconcussive blows. No guilt—we knew risks—but could have been better martial artist.
UFC/MMA needs more weight classes; gaps enormous, names stupid. Welterweight 170 vs. boxing 147 forever; why call it welterweight? Just call 170 lb division like wrestling. Dan developed system for PFL introducing classes gradually; some don't fill due to lack of fighters from UFC monopolization killing grassroots, sport not growing.
Control by UFC stops small orgs; buys out momentum-builders like Strikeforce, Pride (paid ~$60M but got bad contracts, no Fedor, just DVD library; got some like Cro Cop, Nogueira on new deals). Love UFC/Dana but passed tipping point; negative effects from locking down. Some orgs UFC-enabled via Fight Pass become feeders, now dropped: LFA, Invicta, Ares (French, Dan's wife comments). Contender Series replacing. In UK, pre-UFC Europe, many shows; UFC legitimized but killed smaller ones—fans saved money for UFC.
2010 title fight, half interviews justifying sport vs. human cockfighting debates. Attaching power slap then would bury MMA. Hate power slap; watched clips of flatlines, heads bouncing off podium. Martial arts is human chess, high-level problem solving, avoid hits. Hamzat Chimaev's early UFC fights: 3-4 fights, took ~3 punches total (Rees McKee, John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert—one punch flatline). No skill in big hand/fat face; chalk for grip/powder fly or hit indication. Power slap separate from MMA; hurts image when refs like Herzog/Smith/Forrest catch unconscious falls. Like demolition derby vs. Formula One.
UFC solid now to attach it without harm (couldn't in 2010). TikTok clips era; Power Slap digestible short-form, no hardcore fans like MMA (LFA debuts, Russia/Brazil). Freedom, but don't do it. Don't do Jackass; Knoxville KO'd 16 times cold—zero fights, too many. Power Slap pocket money: $3-5K. Woman in Vegas couldn't get MMA fights, too big for classes.
Kayla Harrison makes 135; huge, as big as Joe Rogan. Phenomenal genetics, neck scar, artificial disc. Aljamain Sterling did too, came back better; upset title win vs. Petr Yan had legit neck issue, illegal knee damaged. Dominated rematch; elite back control. Refs lacked confidence to stop Aljo/Sterling vs. Yan 3; he didn't want to continue, damaged brand. Give conscious fighters chance; can't tell damage visually (Bisping won after flying knee). Neck situations bad, but artificial discs allow return (Weidman too). Yol Romero's neck fused to skull base, head doesn't twist; Derek Brunson neck kick didn't budge—steel bar, more durable. Tiger Woods eye surgery 2010 improved to 20/15 vision correcting nearsightedness.
Poll of Olympians: Many would take a gold medal even if it meant living only to 30 or 35. Most athletes would do anything to achieve goals. If neck fusion like Yoel Romero's offered 30% less chance of knockout, many fighters would elect it for advantage.
Tommy John surgery done electively by pitchers to pitch better.
Tiger Woods: Before LASIK surgery after 1999 PGA Championship win, extremely nearsighted (-11 prescription, legally blind without glasses). Achieved 20/15 vision post-surgery, better than 20/20. Described cup and ball looking larger, improved green reading, won five PGA Tour events in a row.
Links to stoned ape theory: Microdosing mushrooms improves edge and depth perception, aiding survival (avoiding prey, finding prey), increases horniness for breeding, boosts creativity. Terence McKenna and Dennis McKenna link it to language creation.
Dan Hardy anecdote: In Vegas, had a mushroom room. Once a week, ceremony with 6-7 grams Saturday evening, then Sunday trail running at Red Rock in Vibrams downhill with equivalent of 2-3 grams in system—felt like a cat, superior ground vision.
Some fighters microdose mushrooms through fights (e.g., Joe Schilling spoke openly). Joe fighting in Brussels in PFL, age 42. Hardy sparred him at Frank Mir's gym in Vegas; Schilling smoked cigarette outside, then beat Hardy badly. Beast kickboxer; fought in Glory's Last Man Standing in LA (multiple fights in a day).
Scott Coker: Founded Strikeforce, involved in Glory, took over Bellator after Bjorn Rebney.
Joe Rogan warned Coker against multiple fights per night: Risk of undetected concussions, fights 1 hour apart then 45 minutes. Done in old hardcore days, but dangerous. Early matchups sometimes easier.
K-1 tournaments: Heavyweights like Hong Man Choi, Bob Sapp—size alone a problem. Got VHS tapes from friend in Canada (K-1 Heroes, obscure events). Had giant box of VHS tapes, zip CDs burned with Pride, K-1 from gym guy.
Got UFC commentary job after meeting Dana White in 2001 post-9/11. On Fear Factor when UFC bought it; Tito Ortiz vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (flag entrance). Rattled off obscure Japan Valley Tudo, Russian, Japanese fighters Dana hadn't heard of—led to commentary offer (initially just wanted to watch).
Earlier: Postfight interviewer UFC 12-13 (1997-98), quit because comedy clubs paid better. Turned down UFC Japan (Frank Shamrock vs. Kevin Jackson, armbar win).
With Eddie Bravo backstage 1997-98: Sport needs crazy billionaires (manifested Fertittas). Did first 15 UFC events free for friends' tickets.
UFC growth: Not famous until 2005 Ultimate Fighter main event, Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar—changed everything.
Rogan called Robert Whittaker "Forrest Whitaker" on commentary; Hardy messed up Juliana Peña's name. 500+ fighters, jiu-jitsu, wrestlers, boxers in head, plus history.
Memory like boxes of folders: Can pull Marvin Hagler vs. Juan Roldan (knockdown fake, Hagler stopped him).
Rogan's first: UFC 37.5 for Best Damn Sports Show (Fox Sports Net), Chuck Liddell vs. Vitor Belfort, Burger vs. Robbie Lawler debut. Did 15 events unpaid, then Dana contracted him.
Visible ad: Unlimited 5G data/hotspot on Verizon, $25/month (new members $20/year with code "fresh start").
Hardy: Sidelined by heart issue, no clearance. Lorenzo Fertitta sent him to specialist, then Dana in stretch Hummer offered UK ambassador/commentary role—no media training, just be himself cageside.
First UFC London: Imposter syndrome. No postfight practice; mock: "Brad Pickett wins by knockout"—asked "How did you knock him out?" Felt like 14-year-old about to be thrown out.
Rogan: No imposter syndrome—did it for fun as famous enthusiastic fan (Fear Factor). Promoted UFC on Howard Stern.
Last fought 1988-89: No one knew best training. Thought judo useless (would've been thrown); kung fu seemed best via Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee wise: Take from everything—grapple, box, block, kick.
Early UFC: Hoyst Gracie dominated with gi friction/jiu-jitsu. Everyone learned BJJ. Then juiced wrestlers like Mark Coleman. Vitor Belfort bulked to 240 lbs, massive neck.
Hardy trained at Carlson Gracies with Vitor pre-UFC debut.
Vitor vs. John Hessa in Hawaii: 6'7" Hessa taken down, 30 unanswered punches in 3 seconds. UFC 12 vs. Trey Teligman (Lion's Den, Ken Shamrock guy, missing pec from childhood car accident). Teligman avoided takedowns, unaware of Vitor's boxing. Then vs. Scott Ferroz (giant knockout artist). Vitor ~190-199 lbs, insanely fast. UFC 12 in Dothan, AL high school auditorium (Dothan Civic Center). Hung out/drunk with Lion's Den.
Hardy at art college 1997, bought Virgin Megastore tapes. Rogan: No instruction, just mic—"We'll come to you backstage." Replaced prior guy via comedy manager/Campbell McLaren connection.
Judges held up whiteboards; "Laws of the Octagon" (no biting, eye gouging, fish hooking—but groin strikes ok). Hardy missing gum from fish hook fingernail; suggests biting fingers back.
Hardy: Tried doing Rogan's job, raised bar high—fed imposter syndrome. Learned from religiously listening to Rogan (delivery, cadence). Everyone after Rogan; no prior MMA commentary models.
Rogan: Accidental, no one to learn from. > "Well, was it was weird because um I"
Dan Hardy was one of the first commentators with a real understanding of jiu-jitsu. Play-by-play announcers like Goldberg, who didn't train, struggled when fights hit the ground. Hardy had to explain to audiences at home exactly when someone was in danger, why, how to escape, and when they were safe—e.g., "Okay, see his elbow? He's free now. He's good." His mind raced at 100 miles an hour. Now, fans understand more, but he still guides through critical moments like submissions: "He's very close here... now he's got to cinch it up... he's got to put his ankle behind his leg... THERE HE'S got it."
Commentating MMA required educating viewers on obscure positions unlike other sports. He avoided weird terms like Eddie's "crackhead control" and explained mechanics: why a calf crusher works, why a triangle succeeds or fails, why someone is safe in a head and arm choke (e.g., hand over ear). It balanced entertainment and education, figured out on the fly over thousands of fights.
Hardy now only does North American pay-per-views, skipping Canada due to government issues (though he loves Canadians). Previously did 22 shows a year, almost every other weekend, flying everywhere—exhausting, became main job after Fear Factor. Travel was brutal: Australia (56-hour round trip, 30 hours on ground), then Dallas, New York. Felt like being on drugs, disoriented, but loved it—Australia's cool people, great food.
Got sent to farthest reaches others avoided: Singapore, Japan, Australia, Russian events. Once backup MC if Bruce Buffer couldn't make it. Buffer's job is hard; he's nearly 70, pushes to the limit—"one day he's going to stroke out... blood starts leaking." Buffer would want to go out that way, sweet suit on.
Craziest memory: sliding down metal slide from Great Wall of China with Bruce Buffer in front, Uriah Faber behind, on rugs. Always loved Bruce. Early debut, Hardy hyped hearing Buffer call his name—goosebumps. Debated fist-bumping Buffer as jinx; Khabib did it every time, so not a jinx. Fighters are superstitious, seeking bad omens, hanging meaning on unrelated things.
Fighters have weird pre-fight rituals: what they eat, wear. Ben Henderson's toothpick was crazy—interviewed post-fight, had one in mouth, got in trouble. Dangerous if knocked out, could go down throat. Seemed like a safety blanket, familiarity. Still fighting at 44, upcoming bout in Brussels vs. Patrick Habarora (good Belgian fighter). Former champ with experience, still in great shape, competes at high level.
Suggested Masters division to PFL for veterans like Cowboy Cerrone, Tony Ferguson—keep them fighting without mismatches vs. young killers like Shavkat Rakhmonov. Example: Nate Diaz vs. Shavkat (uncomfortable), replaced by Tony (Nate won)—perfect matchup. Veterans bounce to bare knuckle; fairly matched fights would yield great bouts. Problem: old vets with knowledge get fed to 27-year-old assassins—"Good lord, don't do this."
Hardy (43) would fight this weekend but knows he couldn't compete with today's terrifying athletes, even at peak. Prefers evenly matched vets with shared experience/wear. Like Pacquiao vs. Mayweather (late 40s, sensible); vs. Terence Crawford would be "Don't do that... don't want to see you get stretched."
Sad trend: veterans once highly regarded, now dismissed online as "washed," highlights for young careers. Should celebrate achievements—no one peaks forever. Past examples: Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin to boost Franklin near title shot. Avoid such matchmaking; mismatched fights shorten careers. Veterans' knowledge grows even if athleticism fades—fair fights extend legacies.
As 17-year-old, watched UFC 2/3 on VHS—questioned everything, had to pursue MMA. Knew taekwondo well, plus Wing Chun, traditional jiu-jitsu, boxing; had martial arts book library. Felt overwhelmed: had to absorb everything (not just useful/reject useless) for shedding process. Fights caused anxiety from unknown opponent skills, endless knowledge cave.
Now, training would be focused/streamlined from years watching/pulling apart sport. Advice to young fighters: take 6-12 months off as pure student. Post-fighting, commentary/Inside the Octagon exploded knowledge daily—wish done during career, but feared overanalysis/bottomless pit.
Watched full careers chronologically, prelims (not just main events). Avoided some to not feel worse; focused on near-flawless top guys. Prelims reveal common mistakes faster. Epiphany: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald—watched as fan, not inserting self.
Prep mirrored analysis: study opponent, then own fights through their lens (pretend to be them). Ego blocked reality—e.g., vs. Carlos Condit: dismissed takedown/KO threat (Mohawk flapping), ignored counter-punching respect (evident vs. Lawler/GSP).
Removing ego/ drama changes perception. Ego causes terrible decisions, like taking bad fights. Example: Jiu-jitsu guy with no striking took MMA fight—warned standing helplessness scarier than ground. Got TKO'd badly, Dunning-Kruger effect (thinks good at striking despite rudimentary skills). Revealed vast unseen world; striking scariest to suck at.
Elite strikers (Adesanya, McGregor) master feints/movements opening attacks—looks like chance. McGregor vs. Cowboy: Cowboy against fence, sees left hand close, ducks into head kick—left hand threat forced mistake (watched all angles).
Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort: eyed leg, front kick KO; Vitor checked low kick with Silva's toes in mouth—sold via eyeline. Ranges in MMA have dimensions: button-mashers succeed, but elites setup techniques as gateways.
Dwayne Bang Luuk (fought him; fan since TKOd TK in King of the Cage vs. fence). Amazing footwork system, giant notebook of techniques. Didn't fight his teaching style. TJ Dillashaw (greatest student) switched stances constantly, multiple looks—wild contrast.
Need more fighters coaching: Mike Brown, Robbie Lawler pass refined knowledge. Taekwondo teacher: "If you're not better than me at my age, I've failed." Gave everything to see development. Eddie Bravo learns from 16-17-year-old students (e.g., Sean Bollinger heel-hooked himself, created double bagger). Teachers must be eternal students.
Give fighters everything, see what they run with/teach back—makes you better. Requires honest ego: admit limits, roll in jiu-jitsu. Eddie admits catches, shows them: "Look what he did... I'm human, good at this but with holes." Evolving game, new things constantly.
They analyze new submissions and find simple ways to stop them, killing ineffective ones. Sometimes a submission is legit, leading to classes where 15 guys propose solutions. They test: get him in it, now how do you finish? Grab here, what would you do? Guys break it down honestly.
Hoist Gracie tapped Dan Severn with a triangle at a Gracie school. A friend asked to see it, but was told, "You're not ready for that yet." Early days had holding back techniques. That was around 1994. Coaches' reputations couldn't be questioned without proof, claiming techniques were too deadly.
Eddie stood out as always a student even when teaching. Everyone wanted to name something in the 10th Planet system, creating a thriving environment at Legends and earlier Bomb Squad.
Dan Hardy started training at Legends after Bomb Squad closed, around 2006, to train with Paulo Toled o of Blood Sport fame. That's 20 years ago when they met.
Joe Rogan Experience 20 years ago meant getting crushed in side control. Joe smashed the bag with back kicks, had a top game opposite to 10th Planet guys pulling into half guard or guard.
Joe got obsessed with head and arm chokes, tapping brown belts and higher. Developed a pitbull-style lock where whole body crushed. Neck issues from it or not tapping guillotines, possibly bulging disc.
Coordination, technique, refinement make squeezes effective, like Marcelo Garcia's rear naked choke despite not being big.
Grappling has mechanical cause and reaction: pull head down or it goes back, pick up leg and lose balance. Even non-fighters see basics.
Striking: no touch, dimensions matter. Button mashers at bottom, refined combos or techniques delivered 10 ways. Advanced understand weapons serve different purposes at different times.
Jab examples: throw right hand straight over jab, or split cross—same weapon, different delivery. Damage draws responses: feint calf kick to lift leg, feint body shot opens head, headshot dead (punch shields vision for kick). Gers taught punch then kick.
Dan Hardy planned a book starting with jab, got to 20,000 words, realized no one would read it.
Dan Hardy analyzes mechanics of movement on multiple levels, excellent commentator, one of the best.
"I'm fortunate enough to have a bit of the tism, you see. So, it's like I see the patterns."
Joe has ADHD, locks in for 12 hours without food. Dan forgets to eat. Tom Hardy announced autistic, collaborated on no eye contact line.
Scubious Pip (rapper, Speech Development Records, has stammer) in Taboo with Tom Hardy. Driving LA to Vegas, Tom mimicked stammer but apologized, absorbing character.
Similar: Johnny Depp as Hunter Thompson in Fear and Loathing, influenced Jack Sparrow. Depp said he was never the same. Jim Carrey, Christian Bale, Daniel Day-Lewis like Shang Tsung absorbing souls.
Met Tom at Renzo's in New York: hunched, no eye contact. Fame weirds people out.
Henry Rollins: "I'm very good being the party. I'm not very good being at the party."
Dan holds too much eye contact, exhausting. Practices looking away. Gaze aversion helps process info by reducing distractions, like turning down radio to navigate or blocking yapping while directing.
In airports with wife Veronica, avoids eye contact to handle tasks. Multitasking reduces concentration.
Joe stopped car interviews: thinking about traffic (60 mph, cars around, motorcyclist), sounds bad.
Sensory deprivation tank eliminates tasks. Dan in UK Midlands, done it couple times.
UK getting kooky, thought crime risks. Dan opinionated, holding tongue, preparing by reading books before expressing fully. Tightening on expression everywhere.
Comedy needs freedom of speech. In America, it closed then reopened after conflating jokes with opinions.
"Bob Marley didn't really shoot the sheriff. When Quentin Tarantino kills in a film, nobody's dying."
Out-of-context TikTok clips mislead, especially first impressions.
Comedians/satire last defense: panel like Robert Mitchell, Ricky Gervais, James Acaster poking fun at UK Prime Minister's Questions (Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch) brings reality.
Lakota Heyoka sacred clowns mocked everything; inability to mock signaled bullshit. Had to be funny or get killed.
Patrice O'Neal: all jokes from same place of trying to be funny, some offensive, some hilarious.
Comedy is freeballing ad libs: swing and miss sometimes. Not press releases. Can't take a joke? Annoying, shouldn't regulate discourse.
Bad faith gotcha actors play stupid games.
Conor McGregor to Chad Mendes: "I'll wrestle my balls on your forehead." Everyone laughed, including Mendes.
Jeremy Stephens: "Who the fuck is that guy?" Became MMA law. Master trash talker, emotional warfare.
Jose Aldo vs Conor: Aldo out of sorts, body smooth, didn't want to be there, threw himself and got cracked. Conor relaxed, won emotional warfare pre-fight. Huge factor whether someone bites; relevant this weekend.
Watched Dan's War Room, loved it.
Joe Rogan praises Dan Hardy's War Room YouTube show. Discussion on the upcoming Strickland vs. Hamzat fight involves emotional warfare, with Strickland making wild comments like threatening to shoot Hamzat and calling him a goat fucker. Hamzat remains unfazed, dismissing it as insincere, showing it's not under his skin.
Fighters should be completely impenetrable. No one should be able to say anything to upset them. It's an immediate weakness.
Strickland would laugh off similar trash talk. Contrast with Dan Hardy's fight against Marcus Davis, where Davis got surprisingly angry on the Countdown show. Reference to Conor McGregor stealing Jose Aldo's belt at the press conference in Ireland; Aldo was visibly furious, emanating anger that was exhausting to be around. Dan Hardy saw this as a level of psychological manipulation akin to witchcraft in striking.
Appreciation for Alex Pereira's stoicism; he stays cold despite trash talk, like from Ankalaev in their rematch where Pereira blasted him out in the first round and gestured mockingly. Similar with Jamal Hill. Pereira's celebrations are cool and controlled, part of his cold brand. Disturbing staredown with Jiri Prochazka, who accused him of spiritual warfare and sorcery, requesting no magic or invoking spirits.
Dan Hardy recounts someone trying to get a witch doctor on him in Brazil, thinking he was casting spells. If you believe in voodoo or curses, it works because fear makes it real.
In his fight with Marcus Davis, Hardy poked him to provoke anger, knowing there were two versions: the stacked, Hulk-like grappler (easier for Hardy) vs. the slender knockout southpaw boxer (harder). By enraging Davis, Hardy aimed to force the grappler version who would wrestle rather than strike. It worked too easily; Davis had bloody nose in training clips. Hardy made "I Hate Dan Hardy" t-shirts, trained at Wild Card boxing gym to mess with him, expecting boxing.
Davis was so angry his mind was clouded. In his corner, Mark DellaGrotte said, > "You're one round away from shutting this kid up." Focus was on silencing Hardy. Post-fight, against Mike Swick, Hardy avoided trash talk until press conference, bringing a runner-up trophy to provoke without expectation.
Marcus Davis Countdown show clip: Dimly lit, Davis says his mom taught him you can't hate without thinking about it daily, pauses, looks at camera: > "I hate Dan Hardy." Cut to Hardy laughing, earning hate mail and death threats. Made t-shirts for fans and Davis, who threw his back.
Conor primed Aldo psychologically to run into his counter left; clear-minded Aldo would leg kick and piece from outside. Conor was big for 145, looked like a dead man at weigh-ins pre-ceremonial era, rehydrated to 165.
Prefers morning weigh-ins for rehydration but misses feral, dehydrated faceoffs for genuine reads and palpable tension. Wears meta glasses for faceoffs now (PF Love logo: Hardy Vision). Weight cuts reveal true states; Conor feral at 145, on point at 155, great at 170.
Against Rory MacDonald (UFC 95 co-main, second London fight), MacDonald arrived Tuesday at 195 for 171, rough cut. Never gone distance (16-4, all KOs). At weigh-ins in West End theater, MacDonald looked broken backstage. Hardy stepped off scales, forehead-to-forehead, pushed him back to imprint less depletion. Wore contact lenses to hide eyes until fight night.
Emotional warfare is real. Very important.
Hardy lacked wrestling in welterweight division against John Fitch, Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck.
Wrestling hard to learn late unless freak athlete. Pereira, kickboxer with no grappling, lost first MMA by submission, trained with Glover Teixeira to stuff takedowns. Glover overachieved due to solid game: semi-conscious resilience, sweeps, back takes, chokes despite age and athleticism. Missed six years of prime, stuck in Brazil; Hardy hyped him pre-UFC.
In 2005 MMA gym, Pereira would learn full jiu-jitsu/wrestling systems. Glover tailored: minimal submissions needed. Pereira black belt but game specifically MMA-effective, direct, not fancy (no crab rides, knee bars). Like Royce Gracie or Helio Gracie: fundamentals only. Vale Tudo forced focus on what works with strikes.
Two schools: shark tank gyms (ATT, Dagestanis) vs. small elite gyms. Prefers small with concentrated attention from invested coach like Glover.
Glover filtered jiu-jitsu, passing only useful MMA parts; strikes change positions, make escapes easier.
Hardy fortunate entering martial arts pre-MMA, taught for self-defense, not sport. Techniques work without coach present. Developed spatial awareness (fire exits, tables in clubs) translating to cage use, underutilized today. Avoid backing to fence unless protecting rear.
Street fights often multiple opponents; jiu-jitsu inefficient (no side control with friends punching). Focus on efficiency: dispatch quickly.
Scoring could adjust for conclusions over control. Stagnant fights from dominant skill mismatches (e.g., Hardy vs. Tricos, GSP; wrestling dominance removes finish incentive). Even matchups more dynamic.
Propose no scoring control; it's own reward like defense. Grappler bears takedown/submission burden. Octagon control as tiebreaker, but tricky for counter-strikers (Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson draw). Woodley wore heel against fence, crowd booing; didn't seem to like fighting, just good at it.
Darren Hill blasted Wonderboy, took him down, and finished him quickly. Standing in the middle of the cage and kickboxing Wonderboy is ineffective because he does unpredictable things with his legs. Fighters like Raymond Daniels or MVP cannot be wrestled effectively.
In the Damian Maia fight, the opponent defended 26 takedowns and went the distance. Against Wonderboy, he rocked Wonderboy, hurt him without getting hurt himself by forcing Wonderboy to be offensive instead of countering, using a strategy of backing up. This was repeated in the second fight, suggesting calculation rather than intimidation. He waited for moments to explode, not acting timid when he landed big shots.
Tyrann never made a fan out of me, especially after the Darren Till fight and the Robbie Lawler knockout, which showed his capability for smashing performances, but he preferred playing King of the Hill over being a dominant champion.
He had setbacks like the Strikeforce Nate Marquardt fight where Marquardt KO'd him with a video game combination of elbows against the cage. Nate Marquardt was exceptionally good in his prime at Strikeforce, a monster who trained in Colorado with GSP and dominated everyone.
Many great fighters like Eve Edwards are forgotten; Edwards was the best 155-pounder at one point.
Counter strikers and guard players must accept losing until they win. Lyoto Machida exemplified counter striking. In Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa, Costa controlled the octagon center, but Adesanya toyed with him and landed strikes from distance, clearly winning despite octagon control.
When striking is even, judges need to discern who lands what. In Jakob Cassuba vs. Natan Schul, Cassuba backed up but landed more strikes; judges lack real-time stats. In Sioux Falls, Shen Bowers pushed forward and landed, but her countering opponent won correctly, though the crowd favored the aggressor.
Counter striking and guard playing are risky due to judging. Few pure guard players remain; Charles Oliveira is the best but expends energy and doesn't always succeed. Good wrestlers avoid wrestling due to energy cost, yet Oliveira impressed against Gamrot, leaving Gamrot lost on the ground.
Gamrot's debut against Guram Kutateladze was elite; both now in Karate Combat. Sarouric was 5% behind Islam in an incredible fight.
Curious about Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane. Gane moves differently for a big guy, a real heavyweight who hasn't made 185 since age 15, an elite striker. Pereira weighs 260 now but was 185 champion a few years ago, then 205 champion; Gane can't make 205.
In the Tom Aspinall fight, first round was strong before disgraceful eye pokes. Need to fix gloves; suggestion of mittens to prevent extended fingers.
Effort to fix gloves failed because they didn't consult fighters or hand wrappers, only Contender Series fighters who praised them. Gloves feel good Tuesday but tighten with padding by fight night. Pride, Rizin, or Fitex gloves have proper curve.
UFC staff roll gloves with Velcro from Tuesday to Saturday, creating temporary curve not built into padding. New gloves had too much technology, not enough common sense.
Trevor Whitman's gloves are the best. Ownership is the issue; negotiations ongoing. Even with them, fingers expose for eye pokes. Many fighters never poke eyes despite wild scraps; ONE Championship small glove Muay Thai avoids it.
Small gloves are great, reduce ground fights—solution to slap fighting complaints. Propose UFC Striking, UFC Muay Thai, or UFC Kickboxing like ONE with Yuki Yoza; watch Ben Wallace, a beast signed to PFL but hard to match.
Ben Wallace trained at Renegade with Edwards brothers, elite trickery at Jedi level in striking dimensions. Stopped John Walker with calf kicks. ONE is struggling.
PFL is right place; need more organizations. UFC not ideal custodian: underpaying fighters, killing sponsorship market, burying subculture growth like old UFC Expos, Tapout, Silverstar, Zuffa.
Subcultures provided jobs, allowed brands to sponsor young fighters. Charles Lewis (Mask) paid double purse for Tapout shorts in Cage Force. Local sponsors like Eric Records on banner were huge.
Not enough events for experience; Contender Series fighters have 5-6-7 fights already. Dan Hardy was 19-6 entering UFC in 2008. Conor McGregor built brand pre-UFC.
Subculture grew brands; Cage Warriors allowed development like Hardy, McGregor, Paddy Pimblett building local fanbases grassroots.
UFC not responsible, but pays for past control stifling industry. Sponsorships had issues like non-paying sponsors and lawsuits, but many paid well. Brendan Schaub made 3x purse from sponsors.
Hardy doubled show money vs. GSP via banner; got $22k for world title fight while GSP got millions, spent $250k on camp booking hotels. Hardy had brown belt Aldo in corner, Thai coach advising illegal knees from bottom.
UFC introduced fees: $50k/year for clothing brands, $100k for distributors like MMA Warehouse sponsoring Alistair Overeem, reducing fighter sponsorship pools.
Fighters deserve majority pay as the attraction in a dangerous job. MVP Netflix card good but hard to book; Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira challenging due to availability.
Francis is legitimate heavyweight champion. Heavyweights suffer most from underpayment.
Francis no longer with PFL due to bad deal by previous CEO; only fought Renan Ferreira.
Sergey Bilisary knocked out Renan Ferreira; trained with Fedor, legit, fast, interesting vs. Tom Aspinall. Moves like Ciryl Gane with sambo background; spun Ferreira's head, dominant body shot finish in third.
PFL fights and talent legit but lack attention. UFC fans want one promotion to crown best. Bilisary could compete with anyone; PFL has Dakota Tadjiyev, Dean Garnett vs. Lewis McGrilla (13 knockdowns, carnage), Scottish Twister.
Stevie Ray used Scottish Twister vs. Pettis and Lewis Long in Glasgow; passed to Jake Hadley who submitted Matias Mateo. Key: foot in thigh like offside triangle, threaten arm triangle, hand fight, force elbow down, prevent turn into body triangle, clear head for crank. Compresses neck, lower back pressure, lifts hips—horrible submission.
MMA still has undiscovered technologies: calf kick, Scottish Twister. Front leg roundhouse kick to face common in taekwondo, like jab; drops opponents (Rose Namajunas vs. Weili Zhang after inside low kick setup pulling lead leg, pitching head forward).
Rare in MMA but devastating if fast. Crescent kick used by Anderson Silva; Instagram KO with inside crescent. More techniques and body targets coming, like ONE kickboxers' toe kick to body (App Chaggy).
They discuss Justin Barry's use of Cage Warriors gloves, noting the distinctive curve similar to Fertex gloves or copies. Cage Warriors produces elite talent but there aren't enough such organizations.
PFL has shifted from tournaments to regular shows with main and co-main events, now using rankings by Combat Registry instead of a complex point system. Dan Hardy criticizes PFL's past self-sabotage under previous leadership. New CEO John Martin, featured on Ariel's show, loves the sport from a fan's perspective and is making right moves. Former leader Don Davis was like Willy Wonka with wild ideas, and Pete Murray made consistently bad deals. Hardy ran PFL Europe starting as commentator end of 2022, then head of fighter ops in 2023, handling signing and matchmaking for four shows yearly as a passion project.
Hardy gathered fighters like old UFC weigh-ins under Dana White—no cornermen, just fighters and translators—for motivational speeches: > "We're all there to murder each other. But for five minutes, we all felt like we were in it together." Fighters fist-bumped hyped before bonuses announced. For PFL Europe, he emphasized: > "There's not a single fight on this card that has been matched for one person to win. Every single person stepping into the cage has got a fair chance of winning. Your destiny is in your hands." Built good roster with fantastic shows. Inherited four tournaments requiring 32 fighters (eight per weight class), many not selling tickets. Pushed to two tournaments and normal MMA shows, which worked, but PFL loves tournament format as distinguishing factor. Need more content and better fighter stories.
Suggestion to start PFL Muay Thai since UFC isn't capitalizing—fighters like Azadullah Imanagha (corrected from Imanang Gazalv) are elite. Fans boo ground fights if boring; Muay Thai never is. Accommodates strikers with 200-300 fights who skip wrestling/grappling. Easy to understand: a kick to the face is universal. Hardy throws ideas at PFL; one success was introducing elbows (absent initially, unlike Pride or Bellator). Pitched post-Bellator acquisition: applying PFL no-elbow rules to Bellator events would anger fans taking elbows away. Opponent Ray Sefo resisted but logic prevailed.
Need knees to head on ground—turtle position shouldn't be safe. Soccer kicks loved from Pride but risky planted against cage (e.g., Frank Mir stomped Tim Sylvia). In Pride, head stomps/kicks only when fight nearly done (e.g., Melvin Manhoef vs. Sakuraba), like icing on cake. Cage Rage refs decided on stomps/head kicks. Sidekicks to knees acceptable but career-ending (e.g., Modestas Bukauskas knee went sideways; Khalil Rountree; Thiago Silva never same after Jon Jones fight; Shavkat similar now). Back-of-head strikes happen via roundhouse over shoulder despite rules (base of skull down protected). Risk of sport like low tackles in football/rugby. Can't strike joints but rules inconsistent (e.g., French commission questioning elbow/forearm line). Straight sidekick hyperextends knee; banning hits low kicks too. Heel hooks safer—you tap. Focus on protecting fighters unable to defend themselves.
Hardy returning to Austin mid-end July for Johnny Eblen vs. Costello van Steenis rematch at Moody Center, July 19th (or 18th). PFL middleweight most competitive vs. UFC's, with Johnny Eblen (undefeated 17-18 fights) beating brakes off van Steenis until last 10 seconds (van Steenis defended belt); beat Fabian Edwards, Travis Briscoe (elbows); Eblen ragdolled Brian Battle. Dan Hardy's Instagram: Dan Hardy MMA.
Keep PowerfulJRE in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
