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Sport

06th Nov 2017

Former NFL star has Dana White’s attention following brutal knockout

Start as you mean to go on

Ben Kiely

UFC president Dana White is talking about Greg Hardy.

Former NFL star Greg Hardy is officially an MMA fighter after making his competitive debut at the weekend.

Hardy took on fellow amateur fighter Joe Hawkins at the Rise of a Warrior 21 event in Florida. The bout lasted all of 32 seconds with the ex-American footballer coming away with a vicious first-round knockout.

A stiff right hand got Hawkins’ attention early. A thumping leg kick stumbled him and the follow-up right hand saw him sink to the ground. With the finish in sight, Hardy capitalised with more punches until the fight was over. The referee had to drag him off the downed opponent after awarding him the knockout victory.

Not long after the fight, Dana White was asked by TMZ if Hardy could ever make it to the UFC. Although the UFC president didn’t give much away, he didn’t exactly rule out the possibility of Hardy fighting for the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion one day.

“I don’t know. I mean, if the guy’s talented enough then maybe he can (fight in the UFC)”

In 2014, Hardy was involved in a domestic violence incident that eventually led to him being booted out of the NFL. He received 18 months probation and the charges were later dropped when the alleged victim failed to testify in court.

While White admitted that his past ‘doesn’t help,’ he gave an interesting response when asked if it would hinder his chances of eventually signing for the UFC.

“I know the guy you’re talking about. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Considering James Toney and CM Punk both have UFC fights under their belts, it wouldn’t be a complete shock if Hardy ends up inside the Octagon too.