By Chris Howie<br><br>

Keith Jardine will be fighting outside of the UFC for the first time in almost six years this weekend when he fights Trevor Prangley at Shark Fights 13 in Amarillo, TX.<br><br>

With a 6-7 mark in the UFC during his run and with four straight losses to close it out, Jardine will look to get back in the win column and work his way back to the sport’s top promotion beginning Saturday in Texas. <br><br>

“I got in a funk and lost a few fights in a row” Jardine told MMANews.com.<br><br>

Most UFC fighters are lucky to lose three fights in a row and still have a job but Keith Jardine is different, he boasts a resume that features fights against a who’s who of 205lbs. fighters and win or lose he always brought it. “I'm very proud of that actually. I've never really fought any easy guys and that was sort of the point of me getting cut from the UFC. I was frustrated being cut but the UFC always treated me right and I could call up Joe Silva or Dana White tomorrow and they would still treat me right. “<br><br>

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As Jardine put it, the UFC sent him out to collect a couple of quality wins against “bums” on the independent circuit and then he would be welcomed back to the UFC. “Unfortunately, I went out and picked one of the toughest guys not in the UFC in Trevor Prangley” joked Jardine.<br><br>

A different approach to training has Jardine feeling confident in his fight with Prangley “I changed things up this time around and took it slower. After every fight I would just go right back into the gym and go all out until the next fight. I realized that come fight time I was over trained and tired when I had to get in the cage.”<br><br>

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Despite quite a few offers from multiple other promotions Jardine says he knew a week after being cut that he would be fighting for Shark Fights, though he first thought he would be fighting Houston Alexander “It was suppose to be Houston Alexander but that fell through. That was a fight I was interested in because I'd like to get that one back but it worked out in the end because I feel I am now fighting a better and tougher opponent in Prangley.”<br><br>

The path back to the UFC could be anywhere from one impressive win or two quality wins, whichever the case, with his new found fan support and drive to return to the top of the light heavyweight rankings, Jardine feels it won’t be long “I'm starting to realize now just how many fans I actually have since this happened. I was surprised to see the support I received and I want to thank all my fans for that. Make sure to check me out this weekend on Shark Fights 13 against one of the best in Trevor Prangley and you can also follow me on Twitter <a href=http://twitter.com/keithjardine205>@KeithJardine205</a>