By Lewis Mckeever:

With just four weeks remaining until UFC 146, brash Brit Dan Hardy couldn’t be more eager to step inside the octagon and trade blows with Duane “Bang” Ludwig. British publication “The Mirror” reveals the physical and psychological torment Hardy has had to endure in an effort to re-establish himself as a welterweight contender.

It’s been another busy week in training camp. We’re at the end of week eight with three weeks of training and fight week left to go.

I’ve started cutting out my carbohydrates in the evening now. My plan is to drop two pounds a week for the next three weeks and then fight week will be a little easier.

Calories in the final week are usually pretty tight, followed by the weight cut on Friday morning to sweat out the last few pounds before weigh ins.

My sparring sessions have been better each week and all of my other sessions are now focused on the game plan – lots of sessions with each of my coaches, drilling techniques and applying them on my training partners in live situations.

Then we review video of the sessions to see what else needs correcting. The fine-tuning phase where everything starts to come together.

These last few weeks are the most difficult psychologically. With the fight getting near I tend to get a little restless, anxious to get in there, trade some punches and put my new skills to the test.

By this point I feel ready to fight and now it’s a waiting game. Pacing myself for a couple of weeks and trying not to over train. This is where the occasional distraction is welcome.
Usually during training camp I am in Nottingham so to relax I spend time with family and watch the Nottingham Panthers play ice hockey.

It’s important to be able to step away from work for a couple of hours a week, do something to take your mind off the fight. Without that brief respite we risk burning out and can be overwhelmed and tired by the time fight day comes around.

With this training camp being in a different city, I have found different things to escape the training camp grind every now and then. Most weeks we try to get to the Gun Store for a little target practice.

The guys at the Gun Store have sponsored a lot of fighters, so I usually bump into friends trying to escape the gym for a while too. There’s nothing quite as relaxing a shooting off a few rounds to relieve some of that tension!

The finish line is in sight and I’m still going strong. Thanks for the support and for taking the time to read my column. I’ll be back next week – one week closer to that victory.

With The Outlaw making a trip across the pond in an attempt to reinvigorate his career and regain the self-confidence and poise he once flaunted so boastfully, will we finally see Dan Hardy break the losing spell and propel himself into the winner’s column?

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