The last time St-Pierre faced a massive underdog, he lost his title. He bought into his own hype and underestimated "The Ultimate Fighter 4" winner Matt Serra. He ended up on the wrong end of a TKO at UFC 69.
Not this time. Or so he says.
"I have to tell you something; a lot of people underestimate Dan Hardy, and it's a big mistake," St-Pierre told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Tuesday during a conference call promoting his March 27 fight in Newark, N.J. "It's a big mistake that I'm not going to do. Dan Hardy is the most dangerous guy that I've fought so far."
Of course, these days, St-Pierre says that about nearly every opponent he's faced since the setback. Every fight is the most dangerous fight in his career. He's one mistake away from losing the title. What his opponent does is of no concern. It's what he's going to do that matters.
The sayings are rife with cliche, but he believes them – and they've done wonders for his career.
He's virtually cleaned out the 170-pound division with victories over Josh Koscheck, Serra, Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn and Thiago Alves. He hasn't just won – he's dominated. That's all thanks to what he learned from the Serra fight.
But as Hardy pointed out during the Spike TV special, "Countdown to UFC 111," the pressure is entirely on St-Pierre because he's the overwhelming favorite. Fans and pundits see the match-up as a slam-dunk for the champion; take Hardy to the mat, ground and pound, rinse and repeat.
The current betting line is -800 to +500 in favor of the champion, which means St-Pierre is being given an 80 to 90 percent chance of winning. The odds aren't as slanted as the line on St-Pierre vs. Serra 1 – oddsmakers learned their lesson after that fight – but they're close, and there's still time until the fight.
St-Pierre, though, said that pressure isn't the burden it once was.
"If you look at all my big fights, all the fights that I had a lot of pressure (with) B.J. Penn when I did the 'Primetime' (show), my revenge against Serra, Matt Hughes when I had the rematch," he said. "(With) all those great fights, I performed better when I'm under pressure.
"When I'm under pressure, I'm more nervous. I'm more awake, and my reaction time is better, so that's a good thing for me."
Hardy, an excellent promoter in his first time as a headliner, said St-Pierre doesn't like to get hit. He plans to test the champion's chin in exchanges.
But St-Pierre is skeptical of the bravado. He thinks the challenger is just trying to pump himself up.
"[Hardy] is a thinking fighter," St-Pierre said. "He's very technical in the way that he fights. He's a great counter-puncher."
And it's true; the British fighter has earned key octagon victories by making opponents pay on the rebound. Alhough most say that's a perfect opening for St-Pierre's wrestling, the champion won't allow himself to believe his skills outmatch his opponent's.
He's learned that lesson.
"My life will end March 27, and it's a chance for me also to redeem myself where I felt [like I was] in the same situation," St-Pierre said. "I never (have) been so pumped up in my life for a fight."
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