Greg Hardy

[GeneChing]

Report: Greg Hardy focusing on MMA career now (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/10/11/report-greg-hardy-focusing-on-mma-career-now/)
Posted by Darin Gantt on October 11, 2016, 11:31 AM EDT

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Getty Images

Greg Hardy couldn’t find anyone to let him play football in exchange for money.

So he’s now looking for a way to make hitting people lucrative for a change.

According to MMAFighting.com, the former Panthers and Cowboys defensive end “has decided to put his football career on hold to pursue” mixed martial arts.

Of course, the NFL was actually the one who decided to put his career on hold, as no one is willing to touch him after he proved to be not worth the headache to the Cowboys last year. They gave him a second chance after his domestic violence arrest and subsequent year on the commissioner’s exempt list with the Panthers, and he played OK but also created a number of distractions which alienated coaches and teammates alike.

The 28-year-old Hardy has apparently been training in the Dallas area.

“I’m very focused and excited to start my MMA career,” Hardy said in a statement. “I’m going to do this the right way, I can assure you of that.”

He said similar things prior to joining the Cowboys, and while he was trying to hustle up work this offseason, including a visit to Jacksonville.

He was recently arrested on cocaine possession charges in Texas, though he said someone slipped the bag of drugs into his wallet while he was paying for a large group of people at a club the night before.

Trading that helmet for gloves.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid, but the article pretty much covers it, I imagine.


Focusing again on MMA training, Greg Hardy realizes NFL window is nearly closed (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/07/17/focusing-again-on-mma-training-greg-hardy-realizes-nfl-window-is-nearly-closed/)
Posted by Mike Florio on July 17, 2017, 8:37 AM EDT

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Getty Images

Friday’s extended podcast interview with agent Drew Rosenhaus included questions about one of his more notorious clients: Former NFL pass rusher Greg Hardy.

Last seen on a football field participating in the Spring League, Hardy (according to Rosenhaus) decided not to participate in the Spring League Showcase held over the weekend in California, focusing instead on his MMA training. Yes, Hardy continues to aspire to become a mixed-martial arts fighter.

He also aspires to get another chance in the NFL, but Rosenhaus realizes the window is nearly closed for Hardy. If nothing happens over the next month or so, it’s likely over for Hardy, who turns 29 later this month.

As to why Hardy continues to find no interest in the NFL after starting 12 games for the Cowboys in 2015, Rosenhaus attributes the situation to a confluence of factors, with the 2014 off-field incident that triggered a paid suspension for most of his franchise-tag year with the Panthers and a four-game unpaid suspension in 2015 and his issues while with the Cowboys coming together to keep the rest of the league from pursuing Hardy.

Although the production has been there at time for Hardy, with an 11-sack season in 2012, a 15-sack season in 2013, and six sacks in 12 games after not playing for more than a year in 2015, Hardy isn’t regarded as being good enough to justify the potential distractions and P.R. problems that would flow from putting him on an NFL roster. A rash of injuries to pass rushers could change that, in theory. But it may take plenty of injuries to get down to Hardy’s name on the list of available veterans.

[GeneChing]

Former NFL DL Greg Hardy to face Joe Hawkins in first amateur fight on Nov. 4 (http://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/21036552/former-nfl-defensive-lineman-greg-hardy-books-first-amateur-fight-mma)
5:16 PM PT
Brett Okamoto
ESPN Staff Writer

Former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy has booked his first amateur fight in mixed martial arts for Nov. 4 in south Florida.

Hardy, 29, broke the news on social media. Representatives at First Round Management confirmed the bout to ESPN. Hardy will face Joe Hawkins inside Havert L. Finn Center in Fort Pierce, Florida.

A controversial figure in the NFL, Hardy hasn't played football since 2015. He was arrested in 2014 after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The domestic violence case was eventually dropped, and Hardy's record was expunged.

http://a2.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F1106%2Fr23502_1296x729_16% 2D9.jpg&w=570
Greg Hardy hasn't played football since 2015. AP Photo/Brandon Wade

Hardy was arrested in September 2016 for possession of cocaine.

In late 2016, Hardy revealed he had started training for MMA in south Florida and intended to pursue a professional career. Representatives told ESPN that Hardy's current focus is his amateur debut, and there is no set timeframe for booking a pro fight.

For what it's worth, UFC president Dana White told TMZ last year that Hardy would need to "win some serious fights" before the UFC considered him. The UFC typically doesn't sign athletes with little to no background but has made several high-profile exceptions.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com in 2016, Hardy said, "I have a lot of different issues that I'm definitely working through and working on. I would say [training MMA] helps me channel everything. It helps me just come back down to earth, be humble, because these are machines that I see every day. I get choked out, punched in the face and laid out on the mat daily, and that's not something that a guy my size and my stature with my history has ever come across."

Hardy had six sacks in 12 games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. He was a Pro Bowl selection for the Carolina Panthers in 2013, when he registered a career-best 15 sacks.
Busted for coke. Just what MMA needs...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

'farcical' <- good word nowadays. I should make more use of it. :p



Greg Hardy Wins Farcical MMA Bout (https://deadspin.com/greg-hardy-wins-farcical-mma-bout-1820975041)
Tom Ley
Yesterday 10:58am

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DTZ6loBJ--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/kdw26oyqz6d1hqhzwbgh.jpg
Photo credit: Brandon Wade/AP

Former NFL player Greg Hardy is trying his hand at MMA, and won his debut fight in 32 seconds on Nov. 4. On Friday, he won his second fight in 96 seconds, and the video footage indicates that it was the dumbest fight in history:



Brian Oswald (https://twitter.com/briancoswald/status/936819053003337731)
@briancoswald
Former Cowboy Greg Hardy (2-0) defeats Mississippi amateur debutant Kenneth Woods (0-1) in just 32 seconds by knockout at AKA: Rite Of Passage 2. Via @FloCombat
8:47 PM - Dec 1, 2017
48 48 Replies 102 102 Retweets 74 74 likes

This fight was put on by American Kombat Alliance, a fight promotion that apparently thought it would be a good idea to pit a flabby amateur with no fights under his belt against a former NFL defensive end.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Ley
Managing Editor

You should follow the link to the fight. It'll take less than a minute of your time and put a smile on your face... or a smirk.

[GeneChing]

Will Hardy deserve his own indie thread soon? Perhaps...

This ESPN article is funny when juxtaposed with the one above.


Greg Hardy on track for February fight in Dallas for LFA promotion (http://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/21681446/greg-hardy-expected-make-next-amateur-fight-dallas-legacy-fighting-alliance)
5:17 PM PT
Brett Okamoto
ESPN Staff Writer

Former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy's next amateur mixed martial arts bout is likely to take place in Dallas, the city where his professional football career ended in 2015.

Current plans are for Hardy, 29, to fight at a yet-to-be announced Legacy Fighting Alliance event in mid-February. Representatives for Hardy and LFA confirmed the plans to ESPN on Tuesday.

Hardy began training in MMA late last year and is 2-0 as an amateur, with two first-round knockouts. He trains out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.

According to Hardy's representatives at First Round Management, the team is still focused on "bringing him along," and there is no timetable for his professional heavyweight debut. Barring unforeseen changes, February's amateur fight will mark Hardy's first appearance in the LFA promotion.

LFA CEO Ed Soares told ESPN he's looking forward to Hardy's debut and would be "very interested" in promoting his first pro fight, whenever the time comes.

It's worth noting LFA is considered one of the premier regional promotions in the U.S. and has a history of placing athletes in bigger shows.

LFA has an especially strong relationship with the UFC. It was formed in 2016, following a merger of Legacy Fighting Championships and Resurrection Fighting Alliance. Former Legacy owner Mick Maynard is now a UFC matchmaker.

Hardy has expressed a desire to eventually fight in the UFC. UFC president Dana White has not ruled it out, but said multiple times that Hardy's development has a long way to go.

Hardy hasn't played football since 2015. He was arrested in 2014 after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The domestic violence case against him was eventually dropped and expunged from his record.

Hardy was also arrested in 2016 for possession of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge and avoided jail time.

Born in Tennessee, Hardy had six sacks in 12 games for the Dallas Cowboys in his final season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013, as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

[GeneChing]

You know you've won well when the entire fight can be compressed to into a twitter post.


Greg Hardy gets UFC contract after 57-second knockout in professional MMA debut (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/06/13/greg-hardy-gets-ufc-contract-after-57-second-knockout-in-professional-mma-debut/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.39d0712887aa)
By Des Bieler
June 13 at 1:45 AM

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Greg Hardy played one season with the Cowboys after four-plus with the Panthers. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Greg Hardy, the former NFL player whose promising career fizzled after charges of domestic violence and continued behavioral issues, was awarded a contract by the UFC on Tuesday, following his professional debut in mixed martial arts. Squaring off against another former NFL player, Austen Lane, Hardy scored a 57-second knockout and said afterward he was “super excited” about the opportunity to join the combat-sports giant.

The 29-year-old former defensive end last played in the NFL in 2015, and after pivoting to MMA the following year, he went 3-0 as an amateur, all by first-round knockout. He continued that trend in his first professional fight, part of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

Hardy (1-0) quickly sent Lane (4-1), a former defensive end and 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick, to a knee with a hard right hook. After Lane got back up, he was immediately met with a left hook that ended the heavyweight fight.


Sporting News
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Greg Hardy won by knockout 57 seconds into his pro MMA debut.

6:50 PM - Jun 12, 2018
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The reaction from @danawhite is all you need to know about the power of @greghardyjr... WOW#UFCFIGHTPASS

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White, the UFC president who runs the series as a separate promotion that seeks out up-and-coming MMA talent, made offers Tuesday to Hardy and another winner that evening by first-round knockout, Alonzo Menifield. The latter, a light heavyweight who had fought last year in the first season of White’s series, ran his record to 7-0 by dispatching Dashawn Boatwright (3-1) in just eight seconds.

“This means everything,” Hardy said (via MMA Fighting). “It’s awesome. I don’t really have the words, I’m just super excited. I’m just really glad I got the opportunity, man.

“Austen came out fighting hard like I thought he would, and it was just a great fight. I got lucky and came in and did what I was supposed to do, and it worked out.”

On Monday, Hardy had called White “an angel,” saying, “I honestly couldn’t begin to explain why, I can only express my appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to be here and show what kind of athlete I am, and show what I have developed into.”

White has received some scrutiny for his interest in bringing Hardy aboard, particularly after his company released a statement in May, following the domestic violence arrest of UFC fighter Nick Diaz, in which it said that it “does not tolerate domestic violence and requires all athletes to adhere to the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy.” At a news conference after Saturday’s UFC 225 event, White said of Hardy, “I guess he had a real bad drug and alcohol problem. Started getting into MMA, cleaned himself up.

“If you talk to anybody he trains with, male or female, they say that he’s a very good guy, he’s very humble. Everybody deserves a second chance,” White continued. “And the guy was never charged with anything, he was never sentenced or anything like that. So, we’re going to give him a shot.”

Hardy was sentenced in 2014 by a North Carolina judge to 18 months’ probation, with a 60-day jail sentence suspended, after he was found guilty of assaulting a female and communicating threats. A member of the Carolina Panthers at the time, the 2013 Pro Bowler had been accused by an ex-girlfriend of using physical force against her after they had a night of drinking, and of putting his hands around her neck and threatening to kill her.

Hardy denied assaulting the woman and claimed that she suffered bruises while hurling herself into a bathtub in his apartment after he said he wouldn’t sleep with her, and that she threatened to kill herself if she left his building. He appealed and asked for a jury trial, and the case against him was dismissed in February 2015 after the woman failed to appear in court, with prosecutors suggesting that Hardy had privately reached a financial settlement with her.

Hardy’s charges were expunged later that year, which was quickly followed by the emergence of evidence from his domestic violence case, including photos of the woman’s bruises. Meanwhile, reeling from accusations of domestic abuse toward Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the NFL had rendered Hardy inactive for most of the 2014 season by placing him on the commissioner’s exempt list, and then the league suspended him for 10 games in the 2015 season, a ban subsequently reduced to four.

Hardy was released by the Panthers in 2015 but was quickly picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, which brought the team criticism, including from the mayor of Dallas. As that season progressed, the Cowboys were reported to have developed concerns about Hardy’s off-field partying and lateness for meetings, as well as about his run-ins with teammates, and the team declined to re-sign him for the following season.

That effectively ended Hardy’s NFL career, with the likely final straw a September 2016 arrest for cocaine possession. The troubled past has led some to question why White and the UFC would want to get involved with him, but Hardy said Monday that he felt misunderstood by his critics.

“You’ll find that 99.9 percent of the time people are talking bad about me, they’ve never met me,” Hardy said. “Never been anywhere near me, in any instance when I was on the field, signing autographs or doing one of the millions of things I do for my fans, or even people who are not my fans.”

“I just think if you give me a chance, you’ll find out,” he added, “and if not, honestly, I accept your opinion, and just keep watching — it’s gonna get entertaining.”

White indicated Tuesday that Hardy would not make an immediate move to the UFC, but would first get some more seasoning in MMA fights with other promotions.

THREADS
Football & MMA (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?54183-Football-amp-MMA)
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