Once upon a time, Dan Hardy looked like the next big thing in the UFC welterweight division.
He was charismatic, telegenic — and riding a lengthy winning streak.
But then came a loss to Georges St. Pierre. And one to Carlos Condit. And another to Anthony Johnson.
If Hardy can’t get past Chris Lytle at UFC Live 5 on Sunday (9 p.m., Versus), he’ll likely be cut from the promotion entirely.
“It’s unusual territory for me,” the British brawler said. “I’ve never been in this situation before. I had two back-to-back losses a while back in my career, and that was a very difficult situation to be in.
“But at this level that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
Lytle presents a real stylistic challenge for Hardy. Both rely on their stand-up, and the Indianapolis native has never been knocked out.
