Controversial heavyweight fighter Greg Hardy earned a unanimous decision victory over Ben Sosoli last night at UFC On ESPN 6 and then quickly found out the result had been amended to a no-contest due to something highly unusual he did inbetween rounds during the fight.
Inbetween the second and third rounds, Hardy asked a representative of the commission if he could use an inhaler, claiming it was ‘USADA approved’ and when told he could he took a puff from it.
It was a moment that simply doesn’t happen inside the Octagon under any circumstances and it left the event’s color commentator’s Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz stunned, while the UFC’s own Mark Ratner confirmed minutes later on-air that what Hardy had just done was against the rules.
However, since he asked for permission first it appears that Hardy won’t be punished for his actions, and a more lenient decision to amend the result to a no-contest rather than a disqualification was applied.
“I’m still new guy in this sport, I did what I do in every situation: I asked permission, I got permission and I did what I was told,” a disappointed Hardy stated backstage.
It’s unclear whether Hardy and his camp will attempt to appeal the decision, but UFC President Dana White believes that Hardy’s coach Din Thomas, a former UFC fighter himself, should have known better.
“If you watch it, you can understand how it happened,” White said at the post-fight presser. “But, you know he asked the guy and he said ‘Is it medically approved’ and he said ‘It is USADA approved’. So because he put it down on hit sheet that he was using an inhaler, and they knew he used an inhaler, it’s just… it’s crazy. I don’t even know what to say. First of all, Din Thomas. I mean come on Din, you’ve been in this game forever. You know what I mean? His corner, they got to know that you can’t use an inhaler in the corner. They should know that.”
