Greg Hardy is no longer a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster as the former NFL star announced his departure from the promotion on Saturday.
UFC officials have yet to comment on the news, but Hardy posted the following message to Instagram acknowledging that his run with the promotion is over. He also took a moment to thank his fans, UFC, and promised to come back event stronger.
“What a run, ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do. Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly I appreciate my coaches, family, and the @ufc for giving me the opportunity to shine bright.”
Hardy, 33, made his Octagon debut all the way back at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in 2019. This came after two successful appearances on Dana White’s “Contender Series.” UFC caught a lot of flack for bringing Hardy on given his storied past with domestic abuse, but the promotion gave him a chance to put his elite athleticism to the test.
While it looked like Hardy was going to evolve nicely as a member of the heavyweight division he started to plateau as the competition got stiffer. After beginning his UFC career with a record of 4-2 (1 NC) the former NFL star lost three-straight fights to Marcin Tybura, Tai Tuivasa, and Sergey Spivak, all by way of knockout.
It’s safe to say that Hardy will land a spot on another MMA roster in the coming weeks, but his days as a member of UFC are likely over forever.