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May 29, 2023

Greg Hardy earns contract from UFC

Greg Hardy has been out of the NFL since 2015, essentially banished from the NFL after domestic violence allegations and a series of sideline incidents in his final season with the Dallas Cowboys. But

Greg Hardy has been out of the NFL since 2015, essentially banished from the NFL after domestic violence allegations and a series of sideline incidents in his final season with the Dallas Cowboys. But the former Carolina Panthers star hasn't given up on a career as a professional athlete. He just had to find a new sport once his old one made it clear that it was no longer interested in him. So Hardy began a new career as a mixed martial artist, and had unbridled success on the amateur circuit. His first three fights were all victories that ended in an average of 47 seconds.

On Tuesday, he moved on to the professional level. His first professional fight came against another former NFL player, defensive end Austin Lane, and ended with yet another victory after Hardy knocked Lane out. That fight was apparently impressive enough to convince UFC President Dana White that Hardy has a future in the sport. UFC announced that Hardy had been signed Tuesday shortly after the fight, with White saying "This is strange, but when you look at a guy like Hardy, Hardy has no experience. Tonight was his first professional fight. But man he can punch, and obviously there’s a lot more to that guy. So what we’re gonna do is we’re actually gonna bring Hardy in and put him on a, you know, this guy needs more experience, we’ll figure out how to do that. We’ve done this before."

UFC is a sport on the rise, but despite that rapid growth, it is still something of a niche sport. Outside of the few superstars at the absolute top, most fighters are relatively anonymous in the greater sports landscape. But Hardy, as a star in the nation's most popular sport and a former member of America's Team, figures to bring in plenty of neutral viewers out of sheer curiosity. Fans will want to see if a converted NFL player has what it takes to survive in the octagon without a lifetime of training. Hardy had the natural athleticism to reach a Pro Bowl and rack up 15 sacks in a single season. It makes his transition one of the ultimate tests of technique vs. raw talent.

It also shows that some sports are more willing to take risks than others. The NFL has done everything in its power to distance itself from any potential domestic violence incidents, while Hardy is being welcomed as a new member of the UFC. His upside means more to a young sport than it does to an established one. Hardy will probably never played another down of professional football. But his athletic career as a whole is far from over. Based on this contract with the UFC, it is only just beginning.