With his NFL career as a practical matter over, former Panthers and Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has finally launched his MMA career. On Saturday night, he scored a knockout in his first fight.
Via James Walker of ESPN.com, the first-round KO (coming in only 32 seconds) happened at an event in Fort Pierce, Florida. Roughly 500 people attended, with Hardy’s bout the ninth of 13 on the evening. The loser fighter was Joe Hawkins, who like Hardy was making his MMA debut.
The 29-year-old Hardy last played in the NFL two years ago. He has drawn no interest from any team since his lone season with the Cowboys ended.
Hardy became notorious for a domestic-violence incident that resulted in a lengthy paid suspension in 2014, and eventually a four-game suspension without pay for violating the Personal Conduct Policy.