By Ryan Bartlett, FightTicker.com blogger

Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (19-6) is getting ready for his UFC debut at UFC 89 against Akihiro Gono. He trains out of Team Rough House in Nottingham, England. He also trains out of Legends Gym in Los Angeles, CA and has recently been working out with Xtreme Couture as well. Hardy has held the Cage Warriors welterweight title and has also fought in the finals of Cage Force tournament. He recently scored TKO victories over Dan Weichel and Chad Reiner, both coming within a three week span.

FightTicker.com: First off, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak to the FightTicker.com readers and myself. We greatly appreciate it.

How would you describe yourself to a MMA fan that's not familiar with who Dan Hardy is? How would you describe your fighting style?

Hardy: I'm a regular, down-to-earth guy that happens to enjoy hitting people. My fighting style is technically aggressive and fast-paced with a healthy dose of malicious intent and a pinch of pure genius.

FightTicker.com: You started martial arts at the age of six. How do you feel that shaped you as a person? Would you recommend it to parents that were thinking about enrolling their own children?

Hardy: Without a doubt. It gave me structure and discipline in a way that kept me fit and healthy at the same time. If ever I was experiencing difficulites in my life, martial arts was the thing that kept me focused and got me through it.

FightTicker.com: In 2002,you trained in China with the Shaolin monks. What did you learn from that experience?

Hardy: It taught me a strong work ethic and gave me a mental toughness that has helped me through training and fighting since. Although most of the technical stuff was of little use to me, it has prepared me for the training I do today by strengthening my body and making it more flexible.

FightTicker.com: How did you come up with your nickname, "The Outlaw"?

Hardy: When I first started training for MMA, I was working with a coach I didnt see eye-to-eye with. After a disagreement, I decided it was best to train elsewhere and in the following days I was calling up training partners and they had all been told to stay away from me. That is where the nickname originated from and because I am from Nottingham [Robin Hood country], it worked well.

FightTicker.com: Your Rough House teammate Paul Daley has a huge fight coming up against Jake Shields? Could you give us some insight as to how you think that fight will play out?

Hardy: It is a tough fight for sure but Paul has the athletic ability and punching power to beat anyone. I see him stuffing Shields' takedown attempts and knocking him out.

FightTicker.com: You are making your UFC debut in England. How will you prepare for Akihiro Gono? What is a typical training camp like? Does it mean more to make your debut in your home country?

Hardy: I always spend some time working with Eddie Bravo in Los Angeles and this time i have been out in Vegas getting some sparring in at Xtreme Couture. I just got back to the UK to start my actual training camp and it will consist of lots of pad work and grapping basics and plenty of 'live' stuff: working escapes and takedown defense and plenty of sparring. Thats not to mention the conditioning, sprints and circuits etc.

Making my debut in the UK is great, it means that my friends and family will be there to support me and I dont have to travel thousands of miles right before the fight!

FightTicker.com: You have been known to fight multiple fights within a short timeframe of each other. Do you prefer a long layoff or would you rather get right back in the cage?

Hardy: I just enjoy fighting and winning -- the length of time between [fights] doesn't really matter. I'm always keen to fight and train all year round. In the beginning of my career i was fighting a lot but now [that] the competition is getting tougher I have employed a management team to slow me down.

FightTicker.com: You lost a controversial disqualification against Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the finals of Cage Force. Would you like a rematch against Yoshida, since you are both now in the UFC?

Hardy: Of course I would like to settle the score but the UFC are in charge and they know what they want so I will leave it up to them. Picking fights isn't my job any more, I just knock out whoever they put in front of me on the way to the title.

FightTicker.com: How does a frustrating decision like that help you grow as a fighter?

Hardy: It helps me re-focus and makes me train harder. After that fight I went straight back to the UK and fought the following weekend. If I had gone out there and given everything and still lost then I would have been disappointed, sure, but getting disqualified unfairly left me feeling unfulfilled so I had to get back in the cage right away to help me move on.

FightTicker.com: Where do you see yourself in a few years?

Hardy: I see myself holding the UFC welterweight belt!

FightTicker.com: If you could fight anyone, who would it be?

Hardy: Akihiro Gono. I am completely focused on him now so no other fighter comes onto the radar. Once he is out of the way, I'm sure I would be able to give you a list but right now he is the only one on my mind.

FightTicker.com: Is there a particular fighter that you enjoy to watch?

Hardy: There are several. Obviously Anderson Silva is awesome to watch, as is BJ Penn. Generally though, I enjoy watching fighters that go out there and give it everything they have -- the UFC Lightweight division at the moment is stacked with those kind of fighters. I also like fighters from different sports: Ramon Dekker, Ricky Hatton, Roy Jones Jr., Dan Gable... the list goes on!

(Photo courtesy of danhardymma.com)