Controversial NFL and UFC star Greg Hardy is back in the combat sports spotlight.
Hardy, 34, will be stepping into the boxing ring for the second time in his career. This time, he will be on a major platform, as Hardy will fight Hasim Rahman Jr. on the third installment of the MF & DAZN X series on November 19. Hardy is in after former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort backed out due to a positive case of COVID-19.
The fight will take place in Texas’ Moody Center.
Hardy just turned pro in boxing in October. The move was following an NFL career and a brief run in the UFC. The “Prince of War” is ready to take over a new sport. The news of Hardy fighting was met with mixed results due to the controversial aura surrounding him.
The Sporting News looks into the history of Hardy, from his arrest to his NFL and combat sports career.
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Greg Hardy’s football career
Hardy was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The defensive end also played for the Dallas Cowboys and had over 40 sacks in 75 games played in his career.
In 2017, Hardy participated in The Spring League and signed with the American Arena League's Richmond Roughriders.
Why was Greg Hardy arrested?
On May 13, 2014, Hardy was arrested for assault and communicating threats, in which he allegedly attacked his then-girlfriend. A judge found him guilty and sentenced him to 18 months probation. Appealing a guilty verdict, the charges against Hardy dropped when his former girlfriend didn't appear in court to testify. There were also reports of a civil settlement. Photos were later released.
Hardy was deactivated by the Panthers and then placed on the exempt list by the NFL. The Panthers decided not to re-sign Hardy. He was suspended ten games by the NFL following a two-month-long investigation. Hardy's sentence was later reduced to four games. The Cowboys picked up Hardy, but did not renew his contract after twelve games.
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Greg Hardy’s MMA career
Following his NFL career, Hardy joined the world of MMA, debuting as a pro on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. Going 2-0, Hardy was offered a contract and officially made his UFC debut in 2019.
After losing his UFC debut following an illegal knee, Hardy used his power to knock out Dmitry Smolyakov and Juan Adams. Against elite-level fighters like Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura, and Tai Tuivasa, Hardy was not able to get wins. He was again involved in controversy in the octagon outside of the illegal knee; Hardy used an inhaler against Ben Sosoli in 2019.
Against Tuivasa, Hardy got knocked out in the first round. He was supposed to fight Alexey Oleynik next at UFC 270, but Oleynik had to back out of the fight. Sergey Spivak replaced Oleynik, but Hardy backed out due to a figure injury. At UFC 272, Hardy and Spivak fought, with Hardy losing via TKO in the first round. Hardy was not re-signed by the UFC following an 0-3 record in his last three bouts.
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Greg Hardy’s boxing career
Hardy joined the boxing world in October, beating Mike Cook via knockout in the second round.
He is also under contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, but there has been no announcement yet for Hardy's debut bout.