"It's going to be a tough fight. I'm not planning on getting an easy ride. I think as long as I get in there and be myself and take the fight to him, I think I have all of the tools to beat him. If it's a kickboxing match, I am confident that I can take him out. I just have to remember when I get in there that I can't show him too much respect; if I start showing him too much respect, that's going to make me hold back. I just have to get in there and expect to be taken down at some point, but I'm going to try to put some hands on his face and try to knock him out," stated UFC welterweight Dan Hardy as he talked about his recent win over Mike Swick and his eagerness to face champion Georges St. Pierre. Check it out!

PC: Congratulations on the huge win.

DH: Thank you!

PC: How do you feel about your performance against Mike Swick?

DH: It was alright. I should have pushed the pace a bit more. I should have knocked him out. I had a couple opportunities where I could have put him out, but I didn't want to rush into anything and get caught. Everyone knows that Swick is a pretty powerful guy and I just didn't want to take any unnecessary risk like that.

PC: You have shown that you not only have a great chin, but some pretty crisp boxing. Who have you been working with in your last 3 or so fights to get your standup game where it is now?

DH: For the Marcus Davis fight, I did a little work with Freddie Roach and here recently, I have been working with a guy named Steve Patt. He is an outstanding Thai Boxing coach. I worked with him to bring a few knees and elbows to my game, but basically, it's just been a lot of work, pad work, sparring and just getting that experience to be able to adapt to situations.

PC: The prize to beating Swick is a showdown for the title against Georges St. Pierre. How do you see a fight with GSP playing out?

DH: It's going to be a tough fight. I'm not planning on getting an easy ride. I think as long as I get in there and be myself and take the fight to him, I think I have all of the tools to beat him. If it's a kickboxing match, I am confident that I can take him out. I just have to remember when I get in there that I can't show him too much respect; if I start showing him too much respect, that's going to make me hold back. I just have to get in there and expect to be taken down at some point, but I'm going to try to put some hands on his face and try to knock him out.

PC: Going back to the Swick fight, I was a little surprised at how much he attempted to take you down. Did you expect that coming in, that once you tagged him, he would try to take it to the ground or were you not expecting that at all?

DH: I kind of always expect that to be honest with you. Everyone kind of knows that my strength is my standup and they always try to get the fight to the floor because that's what they feel like is their best shot to win in there. That's just how it goes. At some point, I will get someone in there that will stand and trade punches with me and it will make for a real entertaining fight, but for the most part, when I hit people, they try their best to get me on the ground.

PC: You always seem very calm in your fights and at one point during the Swick fight, you put your hand up to your ear to get the crowd going. Where does that calmness come from?

DH: I think it's just confidence. It's knowing I put enough work into the gym that I'm in the shape I need to be in for each fight; also being confident and comfortable with the range. I can see when someone is going to move towards me and I can get out of the way or counter. It's just confidence of knowing I have put the work in and I got that experience.

PC: Josh Koscheck took his post-fight interview opportunity to call you out. What did you think of his performance against Johnson and what did you think of his comments towards you?

DH: His fight was alright. It was a little too much drama for me. I'm pretty sure Anthony Johnson is a little disappointed with his performance, but Koscheck was the better man that night. As far as his comments, I kind of expected it because he made a couple of comments leading up to the fight about the fact that I was getting a title shot. I thought he might say something if he got the win, so it was not a big surprise to me. Koscheck is known for being a dick. Everyone has been emailing me saying I gotta knock him out and saying they can't wait for me to fight him. I'm more than happy to fight the guy. I don't like him and he said a few things that he really didn't have a place to say them. I know he has a few good wins on his record, but he is also quite inconsistent, so for him to think he is going to get a title shot over me is quite stupid. He had a shot at GSP and we know how that story ended.

PC: You were one of the MMA fighters to speak up about Bernard Hopkins making some derogatory comments about the sport. Why is it that you think boxers continue to take stabs at mixed martial arts?

DH: I think they know that MMA is becoming the biggest of combat sports. I think guys like Bernard Hopkins are realizing that potential paydays are slipping away from them because people are losing interest in boxing. I don't think he necessarily dislikes the sport or the fighters, but I think they see the sport as a threat and they are reacting to it. You never see MMA fighters talk down on boxing because the majority of MMA fighters love boxing. MMA fighters don't say anything bad about boxing because they know that boxing isn't a threat to us. They are starting to realize that MMA is legit and not a fad and that's why they are making these comments.

PC: The fight with St. Pierre is on the horizon. How long do you take off before you go back to the gym and begin training?

DH: I have already started man. I started on Friday (laughing).

PC: You are ahead of the game then Dan. Thanks for your time my man. You are becoming one of my favorite fighters to watch. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

DH: I just want everyone to check out my website at www.danhardymma.com!