There was a lot of attention surrounding Greg Hardy's controversial UFC debut at Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn on Saturday. Whether that attention was a result of Hardy's MMA accomplishments up until now or due to his controversial past is another question entirely; but, still, there was a lot of eyeballs on the co-main event match.
Hardy, a former NFL All-Pro whose professional football career was derailed after a series of off-the-field issues including a 2014 conviction in a domestic violence case, fought Allen Crowder at the Barclays Center. It was a seemingly hand-picked opponent for Hardy who entered the fight with a 3-0 record. All three of his pro bouts, as well as all three of his amateur fights, finished in first-round knockouts under two minutes.
You could say Crowder was his first real competition and Hardy's lack of experience and form certainly showed. It was an incredibly sloppy round-and-a-half of fighting that featured nowhere near the required talent of a co-main event.
It ended midway through the second round when Hardy
struck a downed Crowder on the side of the head with a vicious, blatantly illegal knee. The disgusting move earned Hardy an immediate disqualification and a victory for Crowder.
Hardy probably didn't enter Saturday's fight with many supporters. I can't imagine anyone in the MMA community is supporting him now after this poor display. The crowd, which was already in favor of Crowder,
reportedly unleashed profanities towards Hardy when the match was over.
Given Hardy's controversial past, the backlash the promotion received for scheduling this fight, and the illegal knee to end the fight, it'll be interesting to see what the UFC does with him moving forward.