Greg Hardy isn’t just looking to take the MMA world by storm. The former NFL star also has his sights set on a crossover into the sport of boxing.
Hardy, who meets heavyweight veteran Marcin Tybura tomorrow night (Sat., Dec. 19, 2020) at UFC Vegas 17 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, has set the bar high for his MMA career. The 32-year-old fighter believes he’ll fight his way to the top of the division and an eventual title shot, but the fun isn’t going to stop there.
According to Hardy, who has produced a 4-2 (1 NC) record since making his Octagon debut just two years ago, he’s already thinking about testing his skill inside of a boxing ring. Hardy will have to finish his business as a member of UFC first, but the athletically-gifted heavyweight is hoping he can one day get his hands on the likes of boxing standouts Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder.
“After I get done shutting this down, handling my MMA business, I want to venture into the boxing realm,” Hardy told reporters earlier this week. “I’m trying to holler at Dana (White). Hopefully, we can get some fights in the Zuffa Boxing world, Top Rank, Al Haymon – somebody come holler at this dude because I definitely want to go over there and knock out ‘The Gypsy King,’ make light work of that English cat Joshua, or whatever it is, ‘Cry-baby Bomber.’ We’ll knock all those guys out, man.
“Of course, you know I’m going to work for it. It’s an aspiration I think will come true real fast, and I can’t wait for it.”
For what it’s worth, Hardy possesses some of the biggest punching power in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Through just seven professional MMA wins “Prince of War” has recorded six knockout victories. He’s always head hunting and always one punch away from a finish.
However, boxing is a completely different animal and Hardy simply hasn’t displayed the technique, precision, and consistency on the feet to suggest he would have any success against Fury, Joshua, or Wilder. It’s a nice goal to set, especially for a rising contender like Hardy, but it remains a longshot in the grand scheme of his fighting career.
For now, Hardy will have to focus on his UFC Vegas 17 matchup with Tybura. The Polish veteran has won his last three trips to the Octagon and may just be Hardy’s ticket into the UFC heavyweight top 15.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 17 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.