Former NFL star Greg Hardy picked up a first round knockout with over Austen Lane at Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Episode 9 and with that win, secured a contract with the UFC.
The former football player will get a shot in the Octagon one day, but UFC President Dana White may have some other plans first.
“The way I see it is, what I would love to do, in a perfect world, this is not what I’m doing, but in a perfect world this is what I would like to do,” White said to MMA Junkie. “If he can turn around and come back, I would like to have him fight on the last episode of the Contender Series. Then I would like to put him on a bunch of ‘Looking For A Fight’ cards, get him some experience and then we’ll decide when we think he’s ready for the UFC.”
Hardy made his professional MMA debut on the “Contender Series,” but has fought as an amateur under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner.
White wants to have Hardy under a contract in the way some other fighters have been with the UFC, most notably UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Cyborg.
“If you see him, you see that he has power. He’s a big heavyweight. He needs to work more. He needs to get some more fights. We’ve done deals where, for example, Cyborg was under contract with the UFC but fought in Invicta. Alexa Grasso was under contract with the UFC. Mackenzie Dern was under contract with the UFC and fought in other places. I have a few ideas of what to do with this guy and let him develop. He’s with a great team already, he’s training with great guys. They say he’s a hard worker. They say all positive things about him out of that gym. We’ll try to build him up and see what he can do,” says White.
There is no official word on when Hardy may fight next, but it could be in just under two months if White’s plan comes to fruition.
