There is no figure in MMA quite as polarizing as Greg Hardy.
The disgraced NFL star turned mixed martial artist had a legion of “fans” rooting to see him knocked out, and perhaps an equal number invested in seeing a high-level athlete conquer a second sport. The former had their wish granted last year, when Hardy was put away by Marcin Tybura via TKO. “The Prince of War” had been quiet since, but Saturday night at UFC 264, he returned against the always game Tai Tuivasa.
It was asking a little much to expect a technical chess match in this one.
Hardy worked his jab early, while Tuivasa opened with a few kicks. A trio of leg kicks clearly took Hardy out of position; he answered by connecting with a right hand. Tuivasa hacked away at Hardy like a lumberjack, but soon, the Australian was rocked. Hardy smelled blood in the water, but he paid dearly for being a little too eager to find the finish. Much to the crowd’s approval, Tuivasa knocked Hardy out with a counter left, then scaled the fence for a celebratory “Shoey.”
WHAT IN THE 🌎 @BamBamTuivasa #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/RXCmomvTsw
— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021
The entire affair took little more than a minute, celebration included. The crowd absolutely lapped up everything Tuivasa said post-fight, putting “Bam Bam” on the fast-track to a big fight moving forward.
Official Result: Tai Tuivasa def. Greg Hardy by knockout, Round 1, 1:07
