Notorious former Panthers and Cowboys defensive Greg Hardy continues to pursue a career in the UFC, and he fought on Saturday night in front of a crowd that consisted of a representative from every NFL team that has interest in him: No one.
Hardy benefited from the fact that fans weren’t present for the fight. He explained after it ended that the victory over Yorgan De Castro happened because Hardy could hear Daniel Cormier critiquing Hardy’s performance, and Hardy adjusted accordingly.
“Thank God for not having the crowd,” Hardy told Joe Rogan after Hardy secured a unanimous decision. “Shout out to D.C. I heard him tell me to check him, so I started trying to check him. Game changer.”
Hardy now has a 6-2 record in the UFC. He tends to beat overmatched opponents and to lose to the better fighters he faces.
UFC embraced Hardy in 2016, even though FOX’s Jay Glazer (whose expertise encompasses both pro football and MMA) urged the fighting community to shun Hardy based on his off-field altercation with a former girlfriend, which resulted in a suspension with pay for most of the 2014 season, a suspension without pay for four games in 2015, and the absence of any suitors in the four seasons since his contract with the Cowboys expired.