NFL players are no doubt at the peak of their physiques. They are expected to keep their fitness levels to a point where they can sustain the brutal impacts of the sport. This also makes them capable enough to enter other sports, sports that might involve a lot of contact. Two of them are mixed martial arts and boxing. However, their success in these rigorous sports isn’t for everyone. Recently, a retired Pro Bowler with an illustrious career in MMA and boxing revealed his thoughts on combat sports.

The Pro-Bowler in question is Greg Hardy. After a recent setback in his career, Hardy took to his Instagram to share his thoughts. He was unabashedly clear about the kind of mistakes he made and even had a humble admission in his caption.

Former NFL Pro Bowler is not such a Pro on the mat

While a lot of NFL players take it easy after they decide to retire, some of them decide to go ahead to pursue other interests. Greg Hardy seems like he is the latter. After making an early exit from the league, the ex-Dallas Cowboys player went on to try his hand at the UFC as well as boxing. Most recently, he had a fight in the TCL against Alexander Flores.

Sadly for the ex-Pro-Bowler, he was knocked out in the 17th round. He was put to the mat by Alexander Flores. Interestingly, Hardy had made an appearance on the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in February. Even then, his debut had ended in a loss. After his brutal loss in the TCL, he took to Instagram to talk about it. To his credit, Hardy showcased extreme humility as he accepted his mistakes and said, “Win some you lose some, tonight was my night for the first fight and the second I got sloppy looking for a knockout. Forgot to fight my fight and paid the price against a good boxer.” The ex-footballer showed his opponent a lot of respect as well.

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While his contract with them expired in 2018, Hardy had also gone the UFC route. Additionally, he is not the first NFL player to decide on a different contact sport as their calling.

From the gridiron to the mat

Hardy was not the only player in the NFL to take to the world of combat sports. There have been multiple players who set their sites in the world of fighting. One such player was Michael Westbrook. Westbrook was a wide receiver for the Redskins as well as the Bengals. However, he went on to have a 3 fight career wherein his most famous fight was against a UFC heavyweight contender. Sadly, that fight had ended in a third-round knockout for WR. Another such player was Herschel Walker, one of the most accomplished running backs of the ’80s and 90’s. At the age of 47, Walker had gone on to compete in MMA, even winning his first two fights. Interestingly, he hasn’t come back to the cage since his 2-0 run.

All in all a lot of players from the league decide to pursue a career in combat sports. While success is secondary, these players have gone on to showcase their talents and tenacity in the world of combat sports. However, only time will tell if someone like Hardy can go on to emulate success in the rigorous sports.

Watch this story: Top 5 NFL players who have tried hands in MMA