Athletes
Harry Hardwick | Onwards And Upwards
English Featherweight Endured A Rough Start To His UFC Career, But Now He’s Ready To Bounce Back
After his short-notice baptism of fire at UFC Paris, Harry Hardwick is back and ready to kickstart his UFC career with victory at UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos.
England’s Hardwick stepped up a weight class and stepped in on short notice to replace Fares Ziam against Kaue Fernandes at UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho in Paris, France. But his UFC debut quickly turned into a nightmare when Fernandes’ low kicks had an unusually devastating effect on the Englishman’s legs as he was stopped inside the opening round in the French capital.
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Despite that defeat, Hardwick said he doesn’t regret making the decision to step in for his Octagon debut.
“I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever taking that fight,” he stated.
If you’re a fighter, you take the opportunities as they come. You’ve got to do it. I'm in (the UFC) now. I've got this opportunity, and I've just got to make the best of it. I know this can be a cut-throat, ruthless business, so I’ve got to perform on Saturday.”
The manner of his defeat was an unusual one – leg kicks are a major weapon in every fighter’s arsenal, but few fighters can finish a high-level fight solely with that technique. But, as Hardwick explained, Fernandes’ kicks were unlike anything he’d ever experienced before.
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“I checked the first one, and it just went through the check, instantly (giving me a) dead leg,” he recalled.
“I’ve had hard leg kicks, but I've never had the instant dead leg and drop foot. And then I think I made a tactical error at that point.
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“I thought, ‘Right. I just need to close the distance and try and hit him.’ And as I kept trying to close the distance, trying to hit him, my weight was going heavier on the legs. And he was anticipating that, and he just kept firing them in. And then, not too long before, I was trying to crawl after him (thinking) ‘My legs are pretty shot here,’ but it is what it is. You just have to flip the coin, roll the dice and all that kind of stuff.
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“I've spent a lot of time addressing the low kicks in training since, and even with that, I don't think I'm gonna fight anyone who kicks like Kaue Fernandes. His kicks were particularly unusual, like he's from Nova Uniao, the low kick gym, and I’ve heard stories that, even with shin guards on, they have to make him spar a lot lighter. So, it’s just one of them. I still don’t regret doing it. I still don’t regret going in there and fighting him. I believed 100 percent I could beat him, but it is what it is.”
Hardwick’s second UFC appearance will see him return to his optimal weight class of 145 pounds to take on Australia’s undefeated Contender Series graduate Marwan Rahiki, who will be making his UFC debut on Saturday night.
“Marwan Rakhiki is an interesting one,” said Hardwick.
“He made his pro debut when I was getting ready to fight for the Cage Warriors title, and he’s come a long way, really quickly.
“Typically, he's very aggressive. And if his Contender Series fight is any (guide), he doesn’t quit on himself. He really believes in himself, no matter what. But I do just think I’m much better, more well-rounded. I think I’m going to be handing him his first professional loss.”
Hardwick also said that, despite being able to head into this fight in his natural weight class, after a full camp, he’s not viewing it as his “real” UFC debut. He’s accepted how his UFC career started, and now he’s determined to move on from it with a performance that is much more aligned with his past performances.
“This is my second fight in the UFC – I can't dismiss the last one,” he admitted.
“It was still a fight. I've still gone in there, gone in the Octagon, even though it was short notice. I can't run and hide from that – it happened. But I do feel good.
“I was just saying to my training partners the other day – I was showing them pictures of the last UFC fight week. My name wasn’t on my shorts. I didn’t have any abs, because I was in the wrong weight class. I hadn’t even had a chance to get a haircut, because it was that short notice. I’m glad I get the chance to do the pictures properly now!”
As always, Hardwick will be supported in his corner by his brother, former Cage Warriors lightweight champion and Contender Series alum George Hardwick. The two siblings have been ever-present in each other’s corners during their careers, and Harry admitted that, without backing each other, there’s a fair chance neither would have made it this far in their respective careers.
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“We wouldn't be fighting if we both weren't doing it,” he explained.
“There has probably been a point where I'd have stopped if he wasn't still doing it, and then there would have probably been a point where he'd have stopped if I if I wasn't still doing it. We've always just lifted each other up.
“I think the thing with your brother in particular is, in life, they're your first friend, but they're also your first rival. There's a lot of hard pushing each other in training. It's been going on the 16, 17 years we've been training now. This journey, I wouldn’t be on it without him. It’s our journey. It’s not just me fighting, or it’s not just him fighting. It’s us.”
They may arrive at the Meta APEX together on Saturday night, but it will be Harry who steps into the Octagon as he looks to claim his first win as a UFC fighter. And, ahead of fight night, the Middlesbrough native said he’s confident of two things: that he’ll get the win, and that it’ll come after a thoroughly entertaining scrap.
“I see the fight playing out at a very high pace,” he predicted.
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“Marwan doesn't mess about, I don't mess about. We go in there, we have a fight. And I do not see any way this fight can be boring or uninteresting. I just think with how I fight – you go back and watch my Cage Warriors fights, or you go watch Marwan’s fights – I just don't see where this fight is uninteresting.
“Saying that, I do think my experience, my technique, my strategy, my tactics – all that stuff will come out to play here and I'm gonna get the job done.”
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 14, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!