Greg Hardy, the controversial former NFL star turned mixed martial artist, will reportedly return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night on April 27. He will reportedly fight Dmitrii Smoliakov, according to ESPN sources.
Hardy (3-1) made his UFC debut against Allen Crowder at UFC Fight Night 143 in January. After a sloppy round-and-a-half, the fight was stopped when Greg Hardy
was disqualified due to an illegal knee. Hardy
was apologetic for his actions, blaming the incident on a lack of experience and vowing to improve.
Despite the optics that come with Hardy fighting in the UFC, company president Dana White has stuck by the controversial fighter whose professional football career was derailed after a series of off-the-field issues including a 2014 conviction in a domestic violence case.
The Russian-born Dmitrii Smoliakov is 0-2 in the UFC with his last (and most recent) fight against Cyril Asker taking place in January 2017.