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Harry Hardwick had a rough UFC debut. | Getty/UFC
Harry Hardwick had an Ultimate Fighting Championship debut to forget.
The former Cage Warriors champion suffered a technical knockout loss to Kaue Fernandes in their lightweight bout at UFC Paris, as he succumbed to leg kicks at the 3:21 mark of Round 1. Hardwick was hobbled early on by his opponent’s attacks, and he had to be wheeled out of the Octagon at the conclusion of the bout.
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In a video on social media, the Englishman praised Fernandes for his powerful leg kicks. Hardwick accepted the fight on less than a week’s notice after Fares Ziam withdrew from UFC Paris due to a death in the family.
“Big respect to (Kaue Fernandes), I have honestly never felt kicks like that and I hope nobody else I know or care about has to ever experience pain like it. I was crippled,” Hardwick wrote on Instagram. “Wishing him all the best as he tries to break through into the top 15 of the UFC lightweight division. Obviously not the way I wanted to make my UFC debut four days notice, tow buggered legs and a TKO loss, but it is what it is I am okay, my legs hurt, but I can stand, my heart is a bit broken, but my mind stays strong, it’s back to the drawing board for me, and I’ll be back stronger with a full camp and at featherweight.
Hardwick: ‘A Fire Has Been Lit’
“The support has been second to none, honestly been completely overwhelming from my immediate support network, the team I’ve got around me, my amazing family, my beautiful girlfriend and loyal as fuck network of friends and then to the wider network of fans and people genuinely wanting to see me do well and to my absolute shock a French crowd was loudly cheering for an English man was a bit nuts. I love you all. A fire has been lit, and I will be back.”
Prior to Saturday, Hardwick was unbeaten in his last 10 professional outings. “Houdini”, who had been competing at featherweight, moved up to 155 pounds to face Fernandes.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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