Although the time has run out on Greg Hardy‘s initial run in the UFC, Dana White has not completely closed the door on a return.
Greg Hardy (7-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC) made 10 walks to the octagon during his time with the promotion following his career in the NFL. While he remains a controversial character in his personal life, his performances in the cage did come with relative success.
Dana White has openly spoken about Hardy recently, going as far as to say he is open to a return, depending on results in other promotions.
Dana White Speaks on Greg Hardy Release
“We’ll see what he does outside of the UFC,” White told MMA Fighting. “He came in here and didn’t have a bad run. He hung around in here for a minute. Always a first-class guy, loved working with him, and I like the guy. So, let’s see what he can do in some of these smaller shows.” The entire interview can be seen on Youtube.
Starting his career with only 3 amateur fights, Hardy then began his pro career with two appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series. Although he was not granted a UFC contract following these victories, he did end up receiving one off the back of a third straight victory at Xtreme Fight Night 52.
An illegal knee meant an unfortunate DQ loss for Hardy in his maiden outing for the UFC but was able to pick up four total victories under the banner. However, he finished his contract with a first-round stoppage loss at UFC 272. Following his release, Hardy has been determined to improve and continue his fighting career.
He has not yet officially signed with a promotion or released information regarding a matchup, but you can imagine Hardy’s goal is to rack up some wins and get back under the bright lights of the UFC for a second run. The time away could prove to work in his favor, too. Picking up cage time and building a fan base outside of the UFC could bring some more support his way if he does make the walk to the octagon again under that banner.
Will Greg Hardy pick up some steam and return to the UFC? Only time, and results, will tell.
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