Watch: Dan Hardy gives a controversial breakdown of Rodtang vs. Demetrious Johnson

Former UFC fighter and premier MMA analyst Dan Hardy recently provided an insightful analysis of the mixed-rules bout between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, which went down at ONE X last month.

With his wealth of knowledge in MMA and a highly-analytical mindset, Hardy has become one of the most sought-after minds in the game. Ever since retiring from professional fighting, Hardy has dedicated his life to using his knowledge to provide insight on the sport, as well as train other fighters.

As for his breakdown of the Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon bout, which was uploaded to the Full Reptile YouTube channel, Hardy straight away gave a summary of what he thought of the historic clash:

"The rules obviously didn't really favor either fighter because Rodtang was able to do exactly what he does in the first round and DJ [Johnson] had to deal with it. But then, soon as the second round starts, the tables were turned."

The first and third rounds were contested under Muay Thai rules, while the second and fourth frames under MMA rules. With that in mind, the bout presented nuances not found in either sport.

In the first round, Hardy found it surprising that 'Mighty Mouse' was willing to trade with Rodtang and risk getting knocked out.

Though mostly on his backpedal, DJ was willing to exchange with the ONE flyweight Muay Thai champion at certain moments in the round.

Nonetheless, the former UFC champion held his own and survived the opening frame. Come round two, however, the whole complexion of the fight changed, as Hardy ingeniously pointed out.

Watch the full analysis here:

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"Cheeky little mouse" - Dan Hardy points out an underhanded move Demetrious Johnson used to defeat Rodtang

At the 10:41 mark of the video, Dan Hardy saw something most of us may have missed. Ever the analyst with a discerning eye, 'The Outlaw' was able to see a subtle underhanded move that may have led to DJ's eventual victory.

In the second round, which was under MMA rules, DJ ducked under a left hook and immediately took Rodtang's back.

From there, Demetrious Johnson hooked his left leg onto Rodtang to keep control of the position. 'Mighty Mouse', however, didn't have the same leg entanglement on the right side.

He was, as Hardy pointed out, holding on to the fence to keep the position in place. It was a clear-cut illegal move as fighters are not allowed to use their fingers or toes to grab on to the fence for any positional advantage.

"What there is here, cheeky little mouse, is he [Johnson] is hanging on to the cage with his toes. Of course, this is on the referee to catch, but had it not been for these toes on the fence, DJ may not have been able to hold this position. And I kinda feel bad for Rodtang because he may have felt like he was controlled fair-and-square there but in actuality, DJ was holding on to the fence for a good few seconds."

In the fight, the referee wasn't in a position to see the illegal move as he was more focused on the choke. Whether or not it was integral to the finish, it was still something that couldn't be ignored.

Johnson was able to hold the position long enough to fully lock in a rear-naked choke and get the win. Only a former fighter with an analytical eye like Hardy could spot this and understand how pivotal it can be in a fight.

Watch the fight between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang here to form your own take: