Greg Hardy has done it again … and by “it,” I mean gotten brutally knocked out by a left hook.
It wasn’t that long ago that the controversial former NFL player appeared to have a real future in the UFC Octagon. Despite some issues understanding the rules, Hardy performed well in his first four UFC fights and even managed to survive three full rounds with top-ranked contender Alexander Volkov.
Not long after the “Drago” fight, however, his MMA career went downhill. Deficiencies in his grappling were exposed, and Hardy suffered three straight stoppage losses en route to the unemployment line. In addition to his problems on the canvas, Tai Tuivasa brutally knocked him out via left hook.
“Bam Bam” was the first, but he will not go down as the last. Since being released from UFC, Hardy has crossed over into the boxing ring, with and without gloves. Last year alone, Hardy crumbled to a left hook in both the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship circle and a Team Combat League boxing match (watch here).
Since that latter knockout loss, Hardy has split a win and a loss in the boxing ring. Earlier tonight (Fri., Dec. 13, 2024), he competed against ranked Cruiserweight Alexei Papin (19-1) at the Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow, Russia. Papin has competed for multiple world titles and is currently ranked in the Top 10 of his weight class.
Size advantage aside, it smells like a mismatch and the end result proved as much. Once again, Hardy was floored by a massive left hook in the third round. The only real difference this time was a brief chicken dance before he hit the floor. The exchanges leading up to and including the finish clip can be viewed above.
Flying halfway across the world to suffer a one-sided knockout loss is a rough gig. One wonders if Hardy would find more success committing to MMA, where he’s at least had some moments of success. It certainly seems like a more feasible path than boxing elite opponents at the age of 36.