UFC president Dana White remains complimentary towards Greg Hardy’s UFC debut, which ended in a disqualification.
Former NFL standout Greg Hardy has so far found success in his transition into mixed martial arts. Prior to his scheduled UFC debut on Saturday night against Allen Crowder, he had already racked up three stoppage wins to kick off his MMA career.
Hardy’s maiden Octagon appearance, however, did not end well for him, as he picked up a disqualification loss after blatantly throwing a knee strike while Crowder was still down on the mat. But even so, UFC president Dana White remains complimentary towards his debuting heavyweight.
“One thing that I did learn about Hardy tonight, he can fight,” White told reporters in his post-fight scrum. “He can fight, he’s an athlete, not only can he punch hard, but he can take a big punch. He got hit with some good shots tonight, his ground game, I think everybody thought if he got taken down to the ground that was gonna be the end of him.
“He got out of trouble on the ground several times, and he learned a lot tonight.”
The UFC has been criticized for its decision to sign Hardy, who was slapped with a domestic violence case in 2014. White, however, says the 30-year-old athlete will be able to carry on with his career in the UFC.
“Yeah, he’ll get another fight,” White said of Hardy. “He made a real big rookie mistake and it caused him an L tonight. It ruined his perfect record.”
Hardy now drops to a professional record of 3-1, with all three wins ending by stoppage.