Former NFL player Greg Hardy has signed a multifight deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship after leaving UFC, according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
"I'm back and ready to knock everyone out in the baddest promotion there is," Hardy said. "Everyone knows I can knock people out, and that's what I'm planning on doing. I can't wait to take the gloves off and rumble for BKFC."
Hardy spent three years in UFC but his contract was not renewed and he was removed from the official roster in March. He went 7-5 with one no contest during his mixed martial arts career, but won just four of his 10 competitions in UFC.
The 33-year-old dealt with inexperience early in his career, suffering a disqualification in his first UFC fight for using an illegal knee. In 2019, a win over Ben Sosoli was changed to a no contest due to Hardy using an inhaler between rounds.
As his career progressed, he struggled against higher competition with three straight losses against Serghei Spivac, Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura.
Hardy will now try to translate his skill set to bare-knuckle boxing—helped by the fact six of his seven MMA wins came by knockout.
He's still best known for his football career which spanned five seasons with the Carolina Panthers and one with the Dallas Cowboys. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2013 when he tallied 15 sacks.
In 2015, Hardy was accused of attacking and threatening his ex-girlfriend.
