Doubters inspire Hardy

Dan Hardy knows many are questioning his status as the No. 1 contender to Georges St. Pierre's UFC welterweight title.

In fact, he was in the front row at Mandalay Bay on Saturday night when Josh Koscheck -- after stopping Anthony Johnson in the second round of their UFC 106 bout -- said Hardy didn't deserve a shot at St. Pierre.

It's one of the things that fuels Hardy in his quest for the belt.

"I love to upset people. I get doubted all the time," the British fighter said. "Regardless of what I do or who I beat, people always underestimate me. They've never given me the respect I deserve. Fighting GSP, if I can give him a good beating, people might start to change their mind."

He also knows Koscheck is not alone in his opinion.

"Josh Koscheck's at the back of a long line of people that have something negative to say about me," Hardy said. "I'll shut them up one at a time."

Hardy, who will get his chance at the title sometime in early 2010, said he deserves the shot if for no other reason than a lack of other deserving candidates.

"I understand that people are a little irked and a little surprised that I'm getting a title shot, but at the end of the day who is left? Georges St. Pierre has done a good job of clearing out the division," Hardy said, adding that two of the other top contenders have already lost to St. Pierre. "The two top guys around are (Jon) Fitch and (Thiago) Alves, and they need a couple wins before they get back to a title shot. You don't want to see the same guys fighting for a title over and over again."

The 27-year-old Hardy will be the first U.K. fighter to compete for an Ultimate Fighting Championship belt. He said he realizes the burden of the fight's promotion will be on him.

"One thing I've realized about this fight is I'm not going to be the good guy. You can't say anything bad about Georges St. Pierre because he's such nice guy to the point where it's a little boring because he never says anything nasty about anyone," Hardy said. "Someone's got to hype the fight up because he's just going to smile and bow every time you say something bad about him."

Hardy has been effective at getting inside opponents' heads, particularly Marcus Davis who is still talking about Hardy five months after their fight. But Hardy insists it's all in good fun.

"I never say anything to intentionally upset people. I'm just saying things that are going to make me laugh and make the fans laugh," he said. "I've got plenty of things I'm going to be saying about (St. Pierre), definitely."

• KIMBO TO DEBUT -- Kimbo Slice will make his official UFC debut at the Palms on Dec. 5.

Slice's opponent has not been officially announced, as the results of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show have not been disclosed.

He could be fighting one of the other fighters on the show or another fighter from the organization's roster.

Slice lost a bout in the first round of the heavyweight tournament to Las Vegan Roy Nelson, but competitors are allowed back into the tournament because of injury or other developments.

The show's Season 10 champion will be crowned on the card, which will air on Spike (Cable 29) and also feature a main event of Matt Hamill against Jon Jones.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.