Dan Hardy draws Duane Ludwig for May 26 fight

British welterweight Dan Hardy has an opponent lined up for his attempt at avoiding what could be a death sentence on his career – five consecutive losses inside the Octagon. The 29-year old, who has maintained his spot on the roster through a series of entertaining showings, will take on Duane Ludwig over Memorial Day Weekend at UFC 146.

The May 26 match-up was announced by the UFC.

Ludwig, who shares Hardy’s love of striking, is coming off a losing performance against Josh Neer in January but had won two in a row entering the affair. In addition to holding the UFC’s record for fastest knockout, Ludwig can also lay claim to past wins over Yves Edwards, Jens Pulver, and Amir Sadollah.

Though Hardy has come up short four times in a row, one of the defeats featured a five-rounder against champion Georges St. Pierre with interim title-holder Carlos Condit also owning one of the victories. Prior to the bout “The Outlaw” had his hand raised in seven straight including fights against Marcus Davis and Mike Swick.

UFC 146 is expected to feature a main event title-bout between heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos and clear-cut top contender Alistair Overeem.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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MMATraining Take: A fine bit of matchmaking by the UFC here, as the fight is guaranteed to be fan-friendly based on their shared styles and it gives Hardy a chance to pick up a victory rather than throwing him to the wolves.