UFC heavyweight and former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy suffered his third consecutive loss at UFC 272 on Saturday night, and it wasn’t pretty.
Almost from the word go (or “let’s fight!”), Hardy was manhandled by opponent Sergey Spivak, who landed an early takedown with a throw and never looked back. In quick succession there were more takedowns, then Spivak passed into mount, ground and pounding his way to victory in barely half a round.
The setback dropped Hardy’s record to 7-5, 1NC; worse, all three of Hardy’s defeats in his current slump have been stoppages.
For many, this might signal the end of the Greg Hardy MMA experiment. The former football star wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by the mixed martial arts community, for obvious reasons. It seems, however, that the 33-year old plans to carry on.
“I’m ok first of all for those who wana (sic) know. No excuses, gotta get better. I don’t know what to do but say sorry. More coming for the prince of War just gotta get my sh*t together,” he wrote on social media following the loss. “Thank you to the @ufc and @danawhite for being in my corner. Thank you coaches and training partners and agents @firstroundmgmt . Everyone did their job accept (sic) for me. This one is on me and there are no excuses for me lacking. I refuse to die but I have to reevaluate for sure.”
Hard is now 4-5, 1NC inside the octagon since joining the promotion in 2019. He’d turned pro the previous year, appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series and earning a developmental deal before being called up.
