Now, we go to the younger brother George Hardwick. George is 11-1 and a winner of his last seven fights. He’s the current Cage Warriors lightweight champion. He’s been on an absolute tear. Here is a more in-depth look at his career to this point.
George Hardwick’s Pro Debut
George Hardwick made his pro debut in August of 2017. He fought another guy that was making his pro debut but had a lot of amateur experience, Craig Edwards. Hardwick battered Edwards for three rounds busting his nose and winning all three rounds. A lot of the damage come from the Thai clinch with those knees and nasty elbows. As the fight went on Hardwick was putting his hands together controlling the range and pace of the fight. Both slick and nasty striking as it was a good way to kick off his pro debut.
Move to welterweight
After starting off at 2-0 Hardwick moved up to welterweight. He would stay at the weight class for his next three fights before going back down to lightweight. His fight with Ben Bennett started off being competitive but Hardwick took over as the fight went on. His fight win Robin Roos doesn’t have any fight footage but Hardwick won a unanimous decision.
Sole professional setback
Hardwick had a random Cage Warriors fight in October 2019. He fought Madars Fleminas who was supposed to fight two weeks prior to the Hardwick fight. His opponent was pulled so Fleminas was booked two weeks later at a catchweight so it was a short-notice fight for Hardwick. Hardwick held his own in that fight even landing a few good shots. Ultimately he was out-sized as Fleminas was the more stronger and powerful puncher.
Bellator run
After his fight with Fleminas Bellator brought Hardwick in for two fights. This was a big moment in the career of Hardwick and it was also his move back down to lightweight. His Bellator debut was against Richard Kiely who was a former BAMMA title challenger. Hardwick was very focused to take Kiely down in this fight. It took all the way to the end of round one to finally ground Kiely. In round two Hardwick was setting up his takedowns better and was getting the fight down. His problem was control letting Kiely back up three different times. Hardwick eventually moved into the mount and a mounted guillotine had Kiely tapping.
In his sophomore Bellator performance, he took the “0” of Nicolò Solli. Solli was the better known grappler but was out-grappled by Hardwick for three rounds. Hardwick was a big step up in competition for Solli and it showed. It was Hardwick getting the takedowns, winning grappling exchanges, getting the back and mount, and attacking submissions. Solli was throwing with wasted motion and Hardwick picked his shots and was picking apart Solli in round three. It was a dominant win from George Hardwick.
Cage Warriors return
After going 2-0 in Bellator, Hardwick wasn’t brought back but instead signed with Cage Warriors. Nearly to years had passed from his Cage Warriors debut to his return. This time, Hardwick was more seasoned and at his correct weight class. Last year in June Hardwick returned to make his second Cage Warriors “debut.” He fought Dean Trueman who was a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion. It wasn’t far into the fight when Trueman gassed out and that was due to the pressure and bodywork of Hardwick. By round two the body language of Trueman was off and a left hook to the body shut him down.
Cage Warriors title win
Hardwick went 3-0 in a calendar year for Cage Warriors. He beat Trueman, Jakub Dohnal, and Lukasz Kopera. Those three consecutive wins earned him a title shot last July.
Hardwick battered Contender Series veteran Kyle Driscoll in the fight. Driscoll did land some punches even busting up the nose of Hardwick. The problem was Hardwick never stopped pressing forward and inflicting damage. It was the right hook over the top, the left to the body, and kicking the lead leg that made Driscoll’s night really rough. Although he had Driscoll in defensive mode it wasn’t until round three that he was dropped with a body shot. In round four Hardwick landed a left to the body and a right up top putting Driscoll down and the ref stepped in. It was a superb performance from Hardwick to earn the Cage Warriors title.
Title defense
To close out this year Hardwick is coming off his first Cage Warriors title defense. He not only beat but finished Bellator veteran Chris Bungard. This was pretty one-sided for Hardwick. He pressed forward the entire time cutting the cage off always landing something. Hardwick didn’t stop chopping away at the lead leg of Bungard. He had him basically on one leg and then started going body-head. In round two Bungard was broken and hurting; a left hook to the body put him away.
Both Harry and George Hardwick are UFC-level talents. George is more accomplished in terms of titles but Harry hasn’t had the opportunities he’s had. If Harry didn’t have that draw earlier this year his name would probably be brought up more. George on the other hand is a top prospect at lightweight. He went undefeated in Bellator, hasn’t lost in three years, and is the reigning defending Cage Warriors champion. Both these brothers have put the time in on big stages and have exceeded under the bright lights. Earlier in the year we saw the Bonfim brothers join the UFC and the Hardwicks should be doing the same. Both are exciting strikers with a dangerous submission base. They are both crispy strikers that are surgical at attacking every part of their opponents. Call them Dana
