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“I have to tell you something; a lot of people underestimate Dan Hardy, and it’s a big mistake. It’s a big mistake that I’m not going to do. Dan Hardy is the most dangerous guy that I’ve fought so far…If you look at all my big fights, all the fights that I had a lot of pressure (with) B.J. Penn when I did the ‘Primetime’ (show), my revenge against Serra, Matt Hughes when I had the rematch,” he said. “(With) all those great fights, I performed better when I’m under pressure…When I’m under pressure, I’m more nervous. I’m more awake, and my reaction time is better, so that’s a good thing for me…[Hardy] is a thinking fighter. He’s very technical in the way that he fights. He’s a great counter-puncher…My life will end March 27, and it’s a chance for me also to redeem myself where I felt [like I was] in the same situation. I never (have) been so pumped up in my life for a fight.”

—Georges St. Pierre reassuring the media he is not underestimating Dan Hardy

When we try to analyze this fight and how Dan Hardy can win, it’s easy to look back at the Matt Serra upset. Dan Hardy hits hard and if he catches GSP off guard like Serra did he can definitely pull off the upset. That said, it’s pretty difficult to surprise someone more than once. GSP is well aware of how Hardy can hurt him and I don’t see him putting himself in situations that play to Hardy’s strengths. I don’t necessarily agree that Hardy is the most dangerous guy that GSP has ever fought, but the mere fact that GSP has convinced himself he is means Hardy is going to have to beat St. Pierre at his absolute best on March 27. Anything’s possible, but I damn sure wouldn’t bet on it.

Image via CombatLifestyle.com

Here’s the premiere episode of UFC Primetime “St. Pierre vs. Hardy” that aired earlier this week on Spike TV.

Georges St. Pierre talks about his upcoming title defense against Dan Hardy at UFC 111.

Fanhouse posted a video today of GSP from late last year talking about he’s changed and improved as a fighter since his win over Thiago Alves at UFC 111. As always, GSP has a unique take on how he approaches the sport.

UFC Primetime ‘St. Pierre vs Hardy’ premieres tonight on Spike TV at 10PM ET/PT.

Reminder: Part one of UFC Primetime “St. Pierre vs Hardy” premieres tonight, March 10, at 10PM ET/PT on Spike TV.

Georges St. Pierre puts his UFC welterweight title on the line against UK striker Dan Hardy on Saturday, March 27, at UFC 111.

UFC 111 ‘St. Pierre vs Hardy’ takes place Saturday, March 27, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and will air live on pay-per-view at 10PM ET/7PM PT. The official UFC 111 fight card can be found in our fight cards section.

“I see myself [in Mousasi], but two weight classes above. He’s a great fighter. He’s very open-minded. He’s amazing. He taught me two great techniques. Those two things I learned today are worth my whole trip. I’m very happy, and I’m going to be working on it a lot…[Mousasi] does things that he doesn’t even know he does well. He does things he doesn’t think about. He just does it. It’s really amazing. It’s something not everybody has. You can’t teach that. There is something from him that I know I can learn. If I can help him at the same time, we both are going to gain from each other. It’s a great experience…If I could have a choice between money, fame or wisdom and knowledge, I would take wisdom first, without hesitation. I’m already a better fighter than I was before the practice. I have more knowledge.”

—Georges St. Pierre talking to SI.com about his first training session with Gegard Mousasi

GSP isn’t the only one benefiting from the two-week training camp with Mousasi. Gegard is as well, specifically where GSP excels — wrestling.

“Gegard is very raw,” said Cleo Ncube, a top Canadian wrestler and one of St. Pierre’s closest training partners over the past two-and-a-half years. “He doesn’t have a real specific training regimen. He just messes around, which is such an incredible story. Today we included him in our technique session and we were working through our regular scheduled techniques. I didn’t know if he was going to pick it up, and fair enough Gegard was picking it up.”

It’s not hard to see why GSP and Mousasi are two of the sport’s best. They could easily get complacent. Instead, they check their egos at the door (if they have ones to begin with), and continue to evolve by learning new techniques and developing their weaknesses into strengths. Not what you want to hear if you’re Dan Hardy or King Mo.

Image via Esther Lin for Showtime

Georges St. Pierre is definitely not taking his training camp for Dan Hardy lightly. GSP’s head trainer, Firas Zahabi, recently expressed interest in bringing in Gegard Mousasi as a new sparring partner for Georges, and it looks like he made it happen. Mousasi is scheduled to spend the next two weeks training with GSP, and appears to be nervous, yet excited about the experience.