Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender’s Series fired up again last night and the big news to emerge from it was the signing of disgraced ex-NFL star Greg Hardy.
Hardy had been given a spot on the show despite his controversial NFL career playing with the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, which at one point in 2014 saw him being arrested for assaulting and communicating threats to his ex-girlfriend.
The charges were later dropped, but in 2016 Hardy was caught in possession of cocaine, so it’s a big risk for the UFC to welcome such a troubled individual into the fold.
Nonetheless, that’s exactly what happened last night after Hardy knocked out another former football player Austen Lane in 57 seconds with punches.
However, Hardy, who already has a 3-0 amateur record, won’t be heading straight into the Octagon as White has indicated that he wants to take things slowly and not rush him into the big leagues.
“If he can turn around and come back, I would like to have him fight on the last episode of the Contender Series,” White told MMAJunkie. “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.
“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.”
Also earning a UFC contract as a result of last night’s fights was light-heavyweight Alonzo Menifield, who improved his record to 7-0 with an 8 second TKO win over Dashawn Boatwright in the main event.
Check out all the results from last night’s Contender Series Season 2 Episode 1 below.
Dana White Contender Series 9 Results:
Alonzo Menifield def. Dashawn Boatwright via TKO (punches) at :08 of round one
Chris Curtis def. Sean Lally via KO (hook kick) at 1:37 of round three
Greg Hardy def. Austen Lane via KO (punches) at :57 of round one
Montel Jackson def. Rico Disciullo via TKO (strikes) at 2:15 of round three
Kevin Holland def. Will Santiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
