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Should the UFC Release Greg Hardy?

Published 12/28/2020, 10:35 AM EST

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It’s been nearly 2 years since Greg Hardy made his start in professional mixed martial arts. ‘The Price of War’ spent his early days in the NFL, even playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Since making his transition to MMA, Hardy is now 7-3 as a professional with one no contest.

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Hardy initially made his way to the UFC after his getting 2 first-round KO wins on the Dana White Contender Series. The MMA community has largely looked at Greg Hardy with a grudge due to his misconduct before his move to mixed martial arts and has never really given him a fair shot.

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The UFC, however, would move to sign the former NFL star as he was popular and known to the American audience.

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Greg Hardy is too raw for the UFC

People have long pointed out that a step into the UFC might prove to be too much for Hardy, and the evidence might prove as such. His most recent fight against Marcin Tybura showed how green Hardy was to the sport.

While on the feet, ‘The Prince of War’ has developed his striking, but after the first round, Tybura took Hardy down with ease.

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The lack of a solid ground game was evident as Hardy ended up getting finished by strikes. Many could argue that the UFC is not the place for those that are venturing into the sport for the first time as we saw with CM Punk.

Ideally, Hardy would develop the skills he required at a lower level fighting opponents that will not be at the top of the food chain like the ones he faces in the UFC.

Hardy also suffers from asthma. Although not completely unheard of, this also would seem to impact Hardy’s cardio. The use of an inhaler is not allowed during the fight under any circumstances, as Hardy had to learn the hard way.

During his fight against Ben Sosoli, Hardy would use the inhaler between rounds, resulting in him being disqualified from the fight.

Could Hardy get cut?

Another issue could be that Hardy has signed a lucrative contract with the UFC due to his star power. However, the results have not stood out in comparison to how much he is getting paid.

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Although Hardy is 2-2 in his last 4 fights, his progression has been relatively slow and could see him grow faster at a lower level of competition.

The Contender Series has always served up fresh talent to the UFC. With a host of young upcoming fighters pouring in, it is difficult to see Hardy extending his time in the UFC.

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With the recent announcement of 60 fighters being cut from the UFC roster, could Greg Hardy be the next one to face the ax?

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Written by:

Keith Dsouza

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Keith D'Souza is part of the Essentially Sports MMA writing team. Having followed the sport since 2013, some of his favorite fighters include Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, and Johny Hendricks. Keith also runs PureMMAIndia, a brand that promotes MMA over social media which aims at growing the sport in India.
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