Greg Hardy only has himself to blame.
Hardy went into his official UFC debut with the knowledge that he had to turn around the public conception of him due to his past arrest for domestic violence.
The former NFL star was given every possible opportunity to prove that he had put his past behind him when he was given a co-main event slot on the UFC’s first ever ESPN show, which proved quite unpopular with many in the MMA community.
After going 3-0 in his professional mixed martial arts career with each of his fights lasting less than a minute, Hardy was matched up with Allen Crowder on Saturday night and endured a nightmare beginning to life in the Octagon.
While he started in explosive fashion, Hardy was forced to fight off his back for the first time in the opening frame against Crowder and was visibly gassed on his stool in between rounds.
Former NFL DE Greg Hardy was disqualified from his UFC debut tonight for delivering an illegal knee to the face. pic.twitter.com/wweVKGbJUf
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 20, 2019
And the 30-year-old saw his unbeaten record disappear with one rush of blood to the head in the second round as Hardy connected with a knee to Crowder’s temple while Crowder had one knee on the mat.
Referee Dan Miragliotta was in little doubt and immediately bellowed that he intended to disqualify Hardy if Crowder was unable to continue, which is exactly what happened.
Cries of “asshole” rang out around the Barclays Centre when Hardy left the Octagon as the official result was read out and he will face an uphill task if he is to turn around the way he is perceived by fans.
