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Tag: greg hardy

  • VIDEO: Former UFC Heavyweight Greg Hardy Brutally Knocked Out At Russian Boxing Event

    VIDEO: Former UFC Heavyweight Greg Hardy Brutally Knocked Out At Russian Boxing Event

    Greg Hardy’s transition from the NFL to combat sports has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

    After wrapping up his football career, Hardy entered the UFC heavyweight division in 2019, making his debut with a disqualification loss to Allen Crowder. He rebounded with knockout victories over lower-tier opponents but faced stiffer competition as his career progressed.

    Hardy suffered a decision loss to Alexander Volkov but bounced back with two wins before his UFC stint ended on a sour note — three consecutive knockout losses to Marcin Tybura, Tai Tuivasa, and Serghei Spivac.

    Following his UFC departure, Hardy shifted to boxing, where he built a 3-0 professional record before his most recent fight. On Friday night, at the Fight Club REN TV Super Series in Moscow, Russia, Hardy faced Aleksei Papin, an opponent with 18 wins.

    The bout, scheduled for six three-minute rounds, ended in the third when Papin rocked Hardy with a decisive blow, ultimately sending him crashing to the canvas with just 90 seconds left in the round.

    After the fight, Hardy reflected on Instagram:

    “I came to Russia alone on short notice to fight a monster with 18 wins and tested my metal. Got two knock downs and went toe to toe. I don’t take easy fights, I don’t fight fake fights — I fight real killers and sometimes the price is high, but I will pay it to become the best, no? Thank you to everyone that helped me get to this point.”

  • Tai Tuivasa Sends “Idiot” Greg Hardy Some Employment Advice

    UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa recently offered his thoughts on the future of Greg Hardy following the former NFL defensive end’s third straight loss.

    After joining the UFC three fights into his MMA career, which came after a departure from the NFL, Hardy’s future in the cage looked promising. But since a victory over Juan Adams in 2019 extended his Octagon start to 2-0, it’s been largely downhill.

    2-4-1 in his last seven, Hardy has tasted defeat to names like Marcin Tybura and Alexander Volkov. His two victories in that period have come against Maurice Greene and Yorgan de Castro, both of whom have since been let go after losing streaks.

    It appears “Prince of War” has now met the same fate. At UFC 272 earlier this month, Hardy hoped to rebound against Sergey Spivak. Instead, the pay-per-view main card opened with another first-round stoppage loss for the 33-year-old.

    This past weekend, Hardy appeared to announce his release from MMA’s premier promotion, confirming a departure many had expected following UFC 272.

    But Hardy doesn’t need to fear because one man is already looking out for his future endeavors, although it’s probably not someone prepared to offer him a glittering reference…

    Tuivasa Plays Headhunter For Fast Food Chain

    Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy met inside the Octagon last July at UFC 264. In a crazy fight for as long as it lasted, the Tennessee native rocked the Australian, before being knocked out himself after rushing in to find the finish.

    “Bam Bam” drew headlines for not only the KO, but his walkout music and post-fight shoeys. His popularity has since increased, as has the speed with which he’s rising the heavyweight ladder.

    But despite being knocked out, Hardy continued his war of words with Tuivasa, claiming the now-#3-ranked heavyweight “cowarded” out of a brawl at UFC 264. Even as recently as UFC 272 fight week, “Prince of War” had Tuivasa’s name on his lips, this time to slam the Aussie for not wanting a rematch.

    While Hardy hasn’t shied away from insulting him, Tuivasa has still been generous enough to offer his foe some employment advice, which may come in handy given the latest developments.

    Prior to Hardy’s apparent release, Tuivasa encouraged his former opponent to swap the MMA gloves for a spatula, and the punching for some flipping…

    “How can he talk smack when he just got smacked again?” Tuivasa said of Hardy’s pre-UFC 272 trash talk during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “He’s an idiot. He should go bloody work at a McDonalds or something.”

    There we have it. Recently made redundant? Let go by your employers? In search of a new career path? Give Tuivasa a call.

    Perhaps if you’re not on the wrong side of “Bam Bam,” you may do better than McDonalds. If you buy one of his Shoeyvasas, maybe he’ll even line you up for a CEO position.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CY0vqf0NwT5/

    What’s next for Greg Hardy following his UFC release?

  • Greg Hardy Appears To Announce UFC Release Following UFC 272 Loss

    It appears that UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy’s time with the promotion may be coming to a close based on a recent social media post.

    Hardy is coming off of a disappointing loss to Serghei Spivac at UFC 272, losing via first-round submission. Hardy has now lost three in a row after impressive wins over the likes of Maurice Greene and Yorgan De Castro.

    Hardy has had his fair share of ups and downs in the UFC, making the full-time move to MMA following a tumultuous end to his career in professional football. But Hardy appears to be turning the page to the next chapter of his athletic career, and it may not be in the UFC.

    In a recent Instagram post, Hardy appeared to say his goodbyes to UFC fans and hinted at a departure from the top MMA promotion.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbAno3JL2Fn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

    “What a run,” Hardy said. “Ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do. Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly i appreciate my coaches, family, and the @ufc for giving me the opportunity to shine bright.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

    The UFC hasn’t officially announced anything regarding Hardy’s status with the promotion and it’s not yet clear what Hardy’s next move will be. Despite the loss to Spivac, Hardy sounded optimistic about his UFC future immediately following UFC 272.

    Hardy made his UFC debut back in January 2019 after throwing an illegal knee against Allen Crowder. He would rebound in a big way with TKO finishes over Dmitry Smolyakov and Juan Adams.

    Hardy garnered the attention of UFC President Dana White after a pair of impressive wins on Dana White’s Contender Series. He also competed on the regional scene leading up to his shot on DWCS in brief stints with LFA and Rite of Passage.

    Hardy has accumulated a 7-5 record in the cage since making the move to MMA.

    What do you think is next for Greg Hardy and his MMA career?

  • Greg Hardy Speaks Out After Disappointing Loss To Spivac At UFC 272

    UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy is looking forward and not backward following his lopsided defeat to Serghei Spivac at UFC 272.

    Hardy came out firing a series of brutal leg kicks that successfully landed on Spivac in the opening minutes. Then, he was smothered on the ground and taken down numerous times in the first round.

    After Spivac got the top mount on Hardy, he landed a series of violent ground-and-pound combinations to finish the fight. Hardy failed to defend himself and the referee stepped in just a couple of minutes into the bout.

    In a recent Instagram post following the loss, Hardy updated his fans on his health and wellbeing after losing a third straight bout.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cav3Sn4LkXS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    “I’m ok first of all for those who wanna know,” Hardy said. “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 shit together. Thank you to the [UFC] and [Dana White] for being in my corner. Thank you coaches and training partners and agents [First Round Management]. Everyone did their job accept 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.”

    Hardy has now lost three fights in a row with all three coming by stoppage. His last win came against Maurice Greene in October 2020.

    Hardy has had his fair share of ups and downs in the Octagon since transitioning from professional Football to MMA. After an impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, he’s traded wins and losses inside the cage.

    Hardy was supposed to make his return to the Octagon earlier this year at UFC 270 before Aleksei Oleinik pulled out on short notice. He then faced a new opponent in Spivac and the fight was pushed back to UFC 272.

    UFC President Dana White has historically shown to have thin patience when it comes to fighters on losing streaks, and Hardy will likely need a win in his next appearance to remain on the UFC roster for the long term—if there is a next appearance.

    Who do you want to see Greg Hardy fight next?

  • Greg Hardy Isn’t Worried About People Wanting Him To Lose

    UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy knows he has plenty of critics and haters, but he tends to tune them out entering fight week.

    Hardy is set to face Sergey Spivak at UFC 272 and is looking to get back on track after back-to-back losses. He most recently fell to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264 via first-round knockout.

    Hardy transitioned from professional football to MMA in 2017 after a tumultuous end to his career on the gridiron. After two wins on Dana White’s Contender Series, he would eventually make his UFC debut in 2019, falling to Allen Crowder.

    Despite the early setback, Hardy was able to get back on track with wins over the likes of Juan Adams and Yorgan De Castro.

    Hardy came under fire in 2014 after he was arrested on domestic violence charges for beating his then-girlfriend. He was then found guilty to assaulting a female and communicating threats and had a 60-day jail sentence suspended.

    Hardy’s out-of-competition setbacks have caused him to have quite the target on his back, especially in MMA.

    During his UFC 272 pre-fight press conference, Hardy spoke about how he handles harsh criticism on social media.

    “I tell myself that everyone loves me, and everyone loves me back,” Hardy said. “But the reality is, from what I’ve heard; internet, face-to-face: ‘F— Greg Hardy, he shouldn’t be in the league.’ My response is, I do what I want. I’m a super soldier, bro. I’m entertaining myself, I’m entertaining the fans, I love it. If you’re hating, that’s your right as an American citizen. Thank you for watching. Buy the ticket, though!”

    Hardy is looking for his first win in nearly two years at UFC 272. His last win came against Maurice Greene in an impressive second-round TKO finish in October 2020.

    What are your thoughts on Greg Hardy’s MMA career?

  • Greg Hardy vs. Serghei Spivac Moved To UFC 272

    Greg Hardy will now be fighting at UFC 272.

    Hardy was supposed to make his return at UFC 270 against Aleksei Oleinik, but the Russian was forced out of the fight. Shortly thereafter, it was announced Serghei Spivac agreed to step up on short notice, but the former NFL Pro Bowler injured his finger and was forced to pull out.

    Now, the UFC announced that Hardy and Spivac has been rebooked for UFC 272 on March 5 in Las Vegas. The main event of the card sees Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal.

    Greg Hardy (7-4 and one No Contest) is on a two-fight losing streak. He’s coming off a first-round KO loss to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264 and before that, suffered a TKO loss to Marcin Tybura in December of 2020. Prior to the setbacks, he TKO’d Maurice Greene and beat Yorgan de Castro by decision.

    The former Dallas Cowboy and Carolina Panther is 4-4 and one No Contest in the UFC with other wins over Dmitry Smolyakov and Juan Adams. His other losses were to Alexander Volkov and a DQ loss to Allen Crowder in his debut.

    Greg Hardy
    Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

    Serghei Spivac (13-3) had his three-fight winning streak snapped last time out as he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Tom Aspinall in September. It was a fight he took on short notice after beating Aleksei Oleinik, a TKO win over Jared Vanderaa, and a decision win over Carlos Felipe.

    The 26-year-old is 4-3 in the UFC with his other win being a submission victory over Tai Tuivasa. His losses came to Tybura by decision and a knockout loss to Walt Harris in his debut.

    With the addition of Greg Hardy vs. Serghei Spivac at UFC 272, the card is as follows:

    • Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal
    • Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell
    • Greg Hardy vs. Serghei Spivac
    • Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan
    • Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot
    • Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova
    • Dustin Jacoby vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
    • Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
    • Jalin Turner vs. Jamie Mullarkey
    • Kevin Holland vs. Alex Oliveira
    • Devonte Smith vs. Erick Gonzalez

    Who do you think will win at UFC 272, Greg Hardy or Serghei Spivac?

  • Tuivasa Responds To Hardy’s UFC 264 Take With Trolling Instagram Video

    UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa has responded to Greg Hardy’s attempts to downplay his victory at UFC 264 last July.

    When heavyweights collide, we tend to either see big shots and brutal knockouts or, often, less-than entertaining decisions. When Tuivasa is in action, it’s almost always the former.

    That was the case on the undercard of Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier’s trilogy fight in 2021. After rebounding from three consecutive losses with back-to-back first-round KOs against Stefan Struve and Harry Hunsucker, Tuivasa was matched up with former NFL defensive end Hardy.

    After just over a minute, the fight was over, and “Bam Bam” was pouring beer into a dirty shoe. How did he get there? By knocking Hardy out.

    After “Prince of War” appeared to rock the Australian, he moved in for the finish, a decision that would prove to be his downfall. With a hard left as Hardy rushed in, Tuivasa sent his opponent to the canvas and quickly forced referee Mark Smith to step in.

    Tuivasa Mocks Hardy For Surprising Claims

    Despite what appeared to be a fairly clear cut and convincing finish, Hardy provided a surprising view in a recent interview with Combat Sports on Fanatics View. When discussing his latest setback, which represented his second consecutive defeat, Hardy suggested Tuivasa fought like a coward and claimed he “didn’t get rocked.”

    “Afterwards he turned into a clown. First of all, he talks all the trash about walking into the middle, and we all know what happened, right. He got slapped around and decided to run back to the cage,” said Hardy. “And I made a mistake… He cowarded out of the brawl that we agreed upon and started throwing little girl haymakers, and luckily lands one… But I didn’t get punched, didn’t get rocked, or anything; just did some stupid crap.”

    Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t taken long for Tuivasa to respond. While some would reply in interviews or with statements on social media, “Bam Bam” is different. From the man who brought us an image of the face of a viral self-defense trainer on the body of Daniel Cormier, we’ve now got an edited video of Hardy that mocks his recent claims.

    In a recent Instagram post, Tuivasa made one thing clear: ‘downplay my victory over you and you’ll have your talking face morphed onto yourself getting knocked out by me…’

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CY0vqf0NwT5/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4cf004e5-ff36-4c47-9f14-ec8e0efe05cc

    “@greghardjr KEEEEFFFFFFEEEE I’ve fucked longer then our fight, like once! Go crawl back in your corner boy you all (cap)”

    With his ’90s pop walkouts, his constant shoeys and newly-created shoeyvasa, and social media presence, Tuivasa really is the gift that just keeps on giving.

    What do you make of Greg Hardy’s remarks about his loss to Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264?

  • Two Major Changes To UFC 270 Card Announced

    UFC 270 is just a week away, but there have been a few changes to the card.

    The UFC 270 card will be the first UFC Pay-Per-View in 2022 and it is stacked. The headliner is a heavyweight title matchup between Francis Ngannou and interim champion Ciryl Gane.

    The interesting circumstances between these two fighters and the fact that they used to train together have made this bout the standout on the card. The rest of the main card and prelims are filled with top talent as well. However, there have been two important changes to the event recently.

    The first change is Greg Hardy is off of the UFC 270 lineup. Aleksei Oleinik was originally booked to face Hardy but had to withdraw from the bout. Hardy was then paired against Sergey Spivak. Hardy made the announcement himself on Instagram.

    The other shake-up to the UFC 270 fight card is Charles Jourdain has stepped in to face Ilia Topuria after his original opponent Movsar Evloev fell ill. This news was first reported by Álvaro Gª Colmenero on Twitter. Topuria is currently undefeated as a professional and is now on a three-win streak in the UFC. Jourdain is coming off a win over Andre Ewell just a few weeks ago.

    With these last-minute changes, the current UFC 270 fight card is as follows:

    Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10:00 PM ET)

    • Heavyweight Francis Ngannou (c) vs. Ciryl Gane (ic)
    • Flyweight Brandon Moreno (c) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
    • Bantamweight Cody Stamann vs. Said Nurmagomedov
    • Featherweight: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Jourdain

    Preliminary Card (ESPN2, ESPN+, 8:00 PM ET)

    • Middleweight Rodolfo Vieira vs. Wellington Turman
    • Bantamweight Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira
    • Welterweight Bout: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Pete Rodriguez
    • Welterweight Bout: Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho

    Early Preliminary Card (ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, 6:00 PM ET)

    • Bantamweight Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry
    • Welterweight Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales
    • Lightweight Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez
    • Women’s Flyweight Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
    • Strawweight Bout: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez

    What is your pick for UFC 270 Fight of the Night?

  • Archives: MMA News’ Naughty & Nice Christmas List For 2018

    As you continue to celebrate Christmas 2021, join us in taking a look back at the MMA News’ Naughty & Nice List of 2018, courtesy of ex-staff member Adam Martin.

    The following editorial is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 21, 2018, 12:42 PM]

    Headline: MMA Naughty & Nice Christmas List For 2018

    Author: Adam Martin

    Just like any other year, there was good and bad in MMA in 2018. Below are some instances of those in the business who were naughty, and those who were nice.

    Naughty: Khabib Nurmagomedov Jumps Over Cage

    There’s no question UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov tops the naughty list after jumping over the fence at UFC 229 and going after Conor McGregor’s corner. Regardless of what Team McGregor said to Nurmagomedov in the lead-up to the fight, he had no business scaling the fence and then launching himself into the crowd. Nurmagomedov hasn’t even received his full punishment for the incident yet, and he is likely headed for more fines and suspensions. But the worst thing about this is that the lightweight division finally had some momentum again and this incident stalled it. The UFC might want to book the rematch between Nurmagomedov and McGregor just because it will sell big bucks, but the promotion shouldn’t even risk something like this happening again.

    Nice: UFC Lets Demetrious Johnson Go, Completes Trade with ONE

    After losing the flyweight title in a huge upset to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227, the UFC granted Demetrious Johnson his release and helped orchestrate a trade to ONE Championship for Ben Askren. The UFC could have been sticklers and made Johnson fight out his deal with them, but chose to do the right thing and let Johnson go off to greener pastures. The UFC makes a lot of selfish decisions, but letting Johnson go to ONE — not to mention Sage Northcutt and Eddie Alvarez — was a good PR move, and just a good-will move to give one of the greatest fighters of all time the right to pick his next home.

    Naughty: UFC Signs Greg Hardy

    What wasn’t the greatest PR move was the UFC signing Greg Hardy to a contract. Yes, Hardy is an intriguing heavyweight prospect with huge knockout power and raw athleticism who could be something special. But you can’t ignore his past, and his domestic violence incident will always stay with him. The sport of MMA has a lot of people in it who have done some bad things, so Hardy shouldn’t be completely singled out, but the UFC signing him and then booking him on the same card as Rachael Ostovich was a terrible move.

    Nice: “Jacare” Holds Up From Hurting Chris Weidman

    In one of the ultimate acts of sportsmanship, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza knocked out Chris Weidman at UFC 230 but refused to throw any follow-up punches once Weidman landed on the canvas. Unlike Dan Henderson, who viciously punched Michael Bisping on the mat even though he was knocked out back at UFC 100, Souza refrained from hitting Weidman any more, and later on the two posted pictures with each other and kind words on social media. Souza and Weidman are two of the most respectful and genuinely good guys in the game, so did you expect anything less?

    Naughty: 48-year-old Chuck Liddell Fights in 2018

    Golden Boy MMA goes on the naughty list for actually booking Chuck Liddell to fight in the year 2018. Liddell had no business coming out of retirement and it wasn’t shocking at all to see him get brutally knocked out by Tito Ortiz at age 48. Shame on the promotion, shame on the commission, and shame on the fighter. This fight was embarrassing and should have never happened. Liddell should truly never fight again, and at this point it looks like Golden Boy MMA itself may never put on a fight again, either.

    Nice: Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez Take Hospital Photo After Epic Brawl

    Arguably the best fight of 2018 was the wild brawl between Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez at the UFC’s 25th anniversary event. The two featherweight sluggers went at each other for nearly five full rounds before Rodriguez landed an insane upward elbow with one second left in the fifth round to pick up maybe the single-greatest knockout in MMA history. After the fight, the two warriors posed in the hospital for a memorable picture that exemplified the respect and true martial arts that the bedrock of this sport was built on.

    Naughty: Conor McGregor Bus Incident

    This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the bus incident back at UFC 223. Conor McGregor threw a dolly through a bus window which ended up injuring several fighters and leading to multiple fights being scrapped. It was one of the ugliest outside-the-cage incidents involving an MMA fighter all year, perhaps only eclipsed by Nurmagomedov jumping over the fence at UFC 229, depending on how you look at things.

    What are some other examples of naughty and nice in MMA in 2018? Leave a comment below with your examples.