With UFC Fight Night 24 on the horizon, Dan Hardy still haunted by KO loss to Carlos Condit

It's been a rough couple of months for UFC welterweight Dan Hardy.
"The Outlaw" went from 170-pound number one contender back in March of 2010 to British pancake just a few months later at UFC 120 in front of a hometown crowd.
Losing to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 is hardly a detriment to a fighter's career. "Rush" has dominated his weight class for the better part of four years.
But getting knocked out by Carlos Condit?
Despite having nearly half his wins come by way of knockout/technical knockout, "The Natural Born Killer" was known primarily for his stellar grappling and as a result, his hands were not a factor in Hardy's gameplan.
And as the trash-talking Brit explains to ESPN.co.uk, it was a fatal error that should never have happened:

"I can't wait, it feels like years since I've been in the Octagon and I'm dying to get in there. I can't wait. I hate losing at the best of times, but the worst thing is there is no way Carlos should have beaten me. I think if we fought 10 times, I'd win nine of them. I can't take anything away from him, he caught me clean and took advantage of a mistake, but it certainly stays with you. I was back in the gym the following Monday, that's how angry I was. I had no respect for the guy, I had no concern over his striking at all. I didn't think he could land a clean shot on me, and I was confident I could walk him down, take his best shots, and put him to sleep. The problem was, I caught him a minute into the fight and I could see it in his eyes that I had hurt him, so I smelt the end of the fight and chased him with my left hook. I had more tools but my left hook has always finished fights, so I relied on it too heavily. I threw four in a row and he countered the last of them. It was good technique by him and stupidity by me."

Hardy will fight Anthony Johnson at UFC Fight Night 24 this Saturday night (March 26) on Spike TV from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.
"Rumble," a six-foot, two-inch welterweight who wins 75-percent of his fights by way of (T)KO, hasn't competed in over a year thanks to a chronic knee injury that required surgery.
And like Hardy, the hard-hitting Johnson will be looking to erase the memory of his last fight, a submission loss to perennial contender Josh Koscheck.
But while Johnson concentrates on his upcoming scrap in "Emerald City," Hardy continues to obsess over his loss to Condit, which may be a red flag for his corner as he heads into what could be a make-or-break fight in his career.
Three consecutive losses in the UFC's ultra-competitive 170-pound weight class could put his job in jeopardy -- and the days of getting scooped up by Strikeforce on the rebound are likely over thanks to the recent Zuffa acquisition.
Has Hardy put himself at risk by not coming to terms with the loss to Condit? Or will it fuel him to a dominant performcance on "Fight Night?"
We'll find out in just a few days. In the meantime, let's hear your pick for what could be an early candidate for "Knockout of the Night."