Dan Hardy Picks The Best Stylistic Matchup At The Upcoming PFL World Championship: 'Kind Of Mike Tyson...' (Exclusive)

In an exclusive interview with MMANews, Hardy suggested that PFL fans keep an eye on the upcoming light heavyweight title fight.

"The light heavyweights, the thing is with Josh Silveira, he's a very well-rounded mixed martial artist," Hardy said. "Josh Silveira has that toughness, but also the smartness and the maturity that comes with having that kind of lineage that he can apply those techniques. Arguably, in the weight class that he's most natural...same thing goes for Impa Kasanganay. We can learn something here...two light heavyweights that are really natural middleweights if you look at the landscape...their skills are speaking for themselves and they're not depleting themselves when they get into the SmartCage.

"[Silveira] manages distance, very, very clever...and he's patient, not in a rush. Then on the other side, you have Impa Kasanganay who has short range punches, great in the pocket, great footwork as well, little bump-switching angles...kind of Mike Tyson in terms of how he bumps himself around his opponent...he can [knock out] anybody."

Josh Silveira, the son of famed Brazilian fighter Conan Silveira, lost in the PFL Playoffs last season to Omari Akhmedov. He's rebounded in 2023 with three consecutive wins, including most recently over Ty Flores back in August.

Impa Kasanganay has made the most of his post-UFC run with four wins in 2023. If he defeats Silveira at the PFL Championship, it'll be his fifth win of the year for the former UFC middleweight.

Silveira vs. Kasanganay will mark a new champion in the PFL's light heavyweight division, and Hardy thinks the high stakes will make the fight one of the most entertaining of the year.

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