Sep-28-2009

Friend or Foe, Antoni Hardonk Gives It All He’s Got

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By Debbie Lee

Friendships before fights. It’s a touchy subject in MMA, and one that plenty of fighters will have to address at some point in their career. With tight relationships forged through a common love of the sport, what happens when you’re asked to fight a familiar face? Which comes first: personal loyalties or the shot at a belt?

Antoni Hardonk refuses to overthink the issue. Business is business, and on October 24, the Dutch heavyweight will gladly look to defeat his former student Pat “HD” Barry at UFC 104 in Los Angeles – and in spectacular fashion to boot.

Not only does Hardonk have no qualms about the situation, he thinks that it couldn’t be a more ideal scenario.

“I am excited about it,” said the 33-year-old. “My approach is not to make predictions, because there is no way of knowing exactly what is going to happen in a fight. But let’s just say that I am very happy to be me, and I wouldn’t want to be him.”

For once, that’s not your typical pre-fight pep talk but an actual informed opinion. Hardonk was, after all, Barry’s peer and former mentor dating back to the pair’s professional kickboxing days in the Netherlands. As old training partners and fellow disciples of former K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost, the two will be more than familiar with each other’s skills when they enter the Octagon.

“We know each other very well and definitely have a connection,” he said. “We have not only practiced and trained together, but I have occasionally taught some of his classes. I have also coached him and been in his corner for a few tournaments. I don’t know what he thinks about this match-up, but I would say that I will have the mental and physical advantage.”

Capitalizing on that edge and getting the win would be crucial following his loss to Cheick Kongo last April. Originally touted as an up-and-comer to watch, Hardonk defeated Colin Robinson, Eddie Sanchez, and Mike Wessel – all by TKO, all in the span of one year – before breaking the winning streak and falling victim to Kongo’s strikes in the second round at UFC 97. Including a first-round submission loss by kimura to Frank Mir at UFC 74, it marked the second time he was unable to pull the trigger against a top contender.

Hardonk accepts the fact that his last performance means dropping a few rungs on the heavyweight ladder, but – being the type who always sees the silver lining – he said it’s created an invaluable opportunity to re-evaluate his game.

“Of course, after every fight you look at the things that didn’t go that well and try to become better,” said Hardonk. “After Kongo, what I’ve been working on is my wrestling. It was definitely a part of my game that was missing and I feel I’ve made an improvement. Another thing was my physicality. I felt last year that I needed to get stronger, but I couldn’t transfer that strength into functional power. But actually, my biggest focus right now is not to train different aspects but make it all work as one system.”

If the recitation of his training regimen strikes you as mechanical, methodical, or even – dare I say it – boring, you’re missing the point. If the Hardonk we first saw in 2006 was all raw talent, the Hardonk that’s to come – the one who sounds like he’s finally being properly groomed – promises to be infinitely more dangerous.

“When I started training for my first UFC fight, I had no camp,” Hardonk explained. “It was just the two of us is Los Angeles, me and my trainer [Rickson Gracie black belt Henry Akins]. And being my size, it was difficult to find other big guys who have some technique and coordination and know what they’re doing. Only now, slowly and steadily we are starting to surround ourselves with knowledgeable and experienced partners. Now I can focus on truly getting better.”

But before declaring himself officially ready for 104, Hardonk has also had to make adjustments to his mental game and shake off memories of the Kongo fight.

“That’s something you can’t put in numbers, like you can with physical training, but it’s just as important, especially for me right now. Something I recently learned is to change my approach. Before, I was looking at opponents and tried to measure my strengths against their weaknesses. What could I do well against that person to win? Now, my attitude isn’t to worry about my opponent but focus on myself.”

Hardonk might be taking that new philosophy to an extreme. To date, he has not watched footage of Barry’s last Octagon bout at UFC 98, where “HD” was caught in a guillotine by Canadian Tim Hague at 1:42 of the first-round. He promised to get around to it, but even if he doesn’t, so what? It would take a fool to not know how this battle will likely go down.

“I think that a lot of people are very excited about this fight,” said Hardonk. “Barry is a former K-1 fighter known to have good standup and good kicks. Me? I’m a former K-1 fighter known to have good standup and good kicks. So people are curious to see who is the better man. I’m looking forward to it, too. I think it takes two [fighters] to make a good fight, and with him being a good standup guy, this will be an opportunity where I can really show my skills.”

And what if Barry pulls out a surprise?

“I’m confident enough in my standup to fight him there,” said Hardonk. “It’s where I feel that I am stronger than any heavyweight in the UFC. But if in the fight we end up in a different situation, then that’s fine too. I entered this sport as a kickboxer, but now I am an MMA fighter.”

He is for now, at least. At the end of the fight, either Hardonk (8-5) or Barry (4-1) will walk away having dropped two fights in a row, meaning that job security is potentially on the line. Not that he’s sweating it. (After all, he can always fall back on a career in crime fighting if this fighting thing doesn’t pan out.)

“There are so many talented fighters coming up but I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I take it from fight to fight and enjoy the adventure. I am just happy to put in my training and fight in front of such a big crowd with all of their energy. I don’t think much about winning or losing or tomorrow. I just want to enjoy every day and give it all I’ve got.”