Penick's Take
PENICK'S BLOG: First impressions of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Hardy premiere episode
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Mar 11, 2010 - 11:59:22 AM

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After watching last night's debut episode of the three part UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Hardy special, I couldn't help but think one thing throughout: GSP is scary. Scary good, and he's getting better. Dan Hardy exudes confidence in himself and his ability as an underdog, but as St. Pierre himself pointed out on the show, Hardy's not really saying anything different than any of GSP's opponents have coming into fights with him over the last three years.

This is an immensely difficult fight for Hardy to come in and win, and after seeing what St. Pierre has been working on with the Olympic lifting and going toe to toe with Renzo Gracie to just the footage of him sparring and training, the task seems even more daunting for Hardy.

The great thing about this show is it can take a guy like Hardy, who has begun to make himself be on the minds of most MMA fans with his string of victories in the UFC and colorful comments and banter with his opponents outside of the Octagon, and it provides a much better look at who they are and what they are bringing to a fight. Dan Hardy's going to come in ready to attempt the seemingly impossible in taking out St. Pierre, and with the first episode ending with Hardy finding his way to the gym of the one man who has done so, Matt Serra, it leaves even more intrigue to next week's episode to see how camp goes with Serra.

The problem with how that was presented, however, is while it's true that three years ago Matt Serra defeated St. Pierre, there's no inside information to be had on how to defeat GSP three years later in the Serra camp. He couldn't do it himself a year after winning the belt when he was completely overwhelmed by a better St. Pierre, and now the Champ is on an entirely higher level than he was in that fight.

Quite simply, the show just proved what has been evident in the cage from fight to fight for St. Pierre, and that is he continuously strives to get better. After seeing both fighters showcased in episode one last night, it's clear who the better fighter is; and though Hardy is a formidable opponent in his own right, at this point I'm not seeing a way he wins this fight.

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