Far be it from us to suggest that the animosity between Dan Hardy and Marcus Davis is anything but 100% genuine – just listen to Davis digging deep into the lessons of his childhood to assert that he really does hate Hardy – but does anyone else feel like we’re really getting the old hard sell on this one?  This nearly ten-minute video from the UFC details the history and relevant talking points of the rivalry between the two, and while it’s fun to hear two men who are actually going to fight talk about the intensity of their dislike for one another, it’s getting to be a pretty familiar story.

Here we have two guys, both outside of the top ten in their division, in a bout with no immediate title ramifications.  You take away the animosity, which began via a calculated effort on Hardy’s part, and what have you got?

It’s a smart move on Hardy’s part to talk his way into a fight with potential to move him up the welterweight ladder (assuming he wins) instead of waiting around for the UFC to give him one of the division’s many suffocating wrestlers.  But how often are fans going to be won over by the pro wrestling-esque personal rivalry angle, and what are the chances this one concludes with one or both of these guys admitting that it was all just to hype the fight?