UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy is looking towards facing the elite of the division sooner than later.
UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy is not shy about what he eventually wants to achieve in his fighting career. In an interview with TMZ Sports prior to his fight against Dmitrii Smoliakov on Saturday, the “Prince of War” is already looking at potential matchups against the likes of Derrick Lewis and former champion Stipe Miocic.
“They’re not in my mind, they’re in my sights, brother,” Hardy said of both fighters. “They’re locked in. With all due time.”
Many feel Hardy is not yet deserving of his UFC opportunities. But from his end, the former NFL defensive end is looking to work his way up the ladder to get the big breaks he’s aspiring for.
“There’s two aspects to play into it. I want to earn this, for one,” he said. “So that these loudmouths that run their mouth talking about ‘Oh, Greg doesn’t deserve like blah, blah, blah.’ Yeah, I do. Because I earned it. I worked my way up to here.
“And secondly, because I’m not ready. It’s like throwing a cub in there with some lions, man. It just doesn’t make sense,” Hardy continued. “So when I go there, when I do fight these guys, hopefully, soon enough when I do elevate and graduate, it’s gonna be Goliath vs. Goliath. A war to be witnessed and loved and cherished forever and on through time.”
The 30-year-old Hardy ended up winning his fight against Smoliakov via first-round TKO, as he now holds a record of 4-1.