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November 11, 2009
"It will be my fast hands versus Hardy's hooks."
By Matt Freeman on Nov 12, 09 09:06 PM
Having seen his last would-be opponent, Martin Kampmann, demolished by Rough House fighter Paul Daley, Mike Swick was then offered the chance to face Dan Hardy for the number one contender spot at 170lbs.
The fellow Rough House athlete and teammate to Daley has been on a tear in the UFC but all Swick sees is a man standing in his way of getting a title shot.
"I've sacrificed a huge part of my life to get where I am and I've built up quite the credentials in the UFC and I'm not gonna let this opportunity slip by for getting this title shot."
With Hardy playing some light-hearted mind games at the press conference, handing Swick a runner's up trophy as a sign of his impending defeat, the AKA fighter took it all in his stride.
"I think it's funny. That's awesome. I'm light-hearted. I don't get worked up about this kinda stuff. It's gonna be neat to give it right back to him."
However, with the fight bearing the consequence of a title shot for the winner, how is Swick dealing with fighting on his opponent's home turf?
"Obviously I know he's going to have a lot of fan support but I agree with it. You know, he is the hometown boy. I don't blame the fans at all. I love the English fans.
"You know at the end of the day we're going out there and we're fighting. The fans, no matter what they do, cheer or boo, it's not going to change us as fighters. It won't turn him into a superhero or me either. At the end, we're gonna have to get in there and solve this issue."
Holding a 9-1 record inside the UFC, Swick wants nothing more than to earn his shot at welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. But, has it added another dimension to the Hardy fight in front of him?
"No pressure. I've learnt so much from my experiences fighting in the UFC. I've taken so many big steps and have had to learn lessons, you know, through fights, performances that I wasn't 100% satisfied with. I feel like I've gained so much knowledge.
"I've learnt to look at just this fight. Not think about the pressure, not think about the negative stuff. Just be positive, focus and go out there and get each win, one at a time.
"You know since I've been doing that I've been having really good fights, really good results and in the end that's what's gonna give me the title shot. That's what's gonna give me the title so I'm just focusing on one fight at a time."
Whilst there has been some decent banter between the two fighters, both bring a deadly striking game to the Octagon and this is a fight that will be strongly contested.
Swick is known for his speed whilst Hardy has crisp, devastating counter punches and this should be a stand up war for the ages.
"I think it's gonna be my fast hands versus his hooks. He's a very hooky guy.
"You know he says that my speed is not gonna be a factor but I'm very motivated to prove him wrong and show that speed is definitely an issue when you fight so we'll see."
Source: TKO MIRROR.CO.UK'S MMA BLOG
