Ex–UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy has added bare-knuckle boxing to his new list of combat sports.
Officials at BKFC confirmed that Hardy had signed to MMA Fighting, adding yet another promotion after former NFLer announced his switch to pro boxing.
Hardy’s latest signing comes after he was released from the UFC, where he delivered 10 fights with 4-5 record and one no-contest. After dropping three consecutive fights, his career in MMA ended with him losing all but one.
” I’m back, and ready to knock everybody out in the worst promotion there is,” Hardy said in a press release. Everyone knows that I have the ability to knock out people and that is what I plan on doing. I can’t wait to take the gloves off and rumble for BKFC.”
Hardy, a former standout on the defensive line, spent six years in the NFL playing for both the Carolina Panthers (now the Dallas Cowboys) and the Dallas Cowboys. He earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2013. During the tail end of his playing career, he was suspended for multiple games for violating the league’s code of conduct policy after he was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Hardy was initially found guilty by a judge, but the charges were later expunged from his record after the victim in the case failed to appear for a trial. Prosecutors were then forced to drop the charges.
Following the end of his run in the NFL, Hardy moved into combat sports, where he caught the UFC’s attention by fighting on Dana White’s Contender Series. After signing a deal for development, he fought twice there before eventually moving to UFC.
Hardy is joining a division ruled by Arnold Adams at heavyweight. There’s not yet any word on Hardy’s debut. Former UFC fighter Alan Belcher is currently a top contender.
