Guys, Greg Hardy is a person and he has feelings, too.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight prospect made his Octagon debut at the UFC on ESPN+ 1 event earlier this month in Brooklyn, New York, losing by way of disqualification after landing an illegal knee (video).
It wasn’t intentional, he just didn’t understand the rules.
“Looking back and listening to the rule, I didn’t really understand the rule,” Hardy told TMZ. “It was a different understanding. And the crazy thing is, in my mind, I wasn’t even gonna risk it, you know? I was literally waiting for him to get up. I saw the knee come up, and he grabbed the back of my other leg, so it feels like he’s standing up, man. And I was trying to time it.”
I know this is going to sound like an unrealistic expectation, but before we put an athlete into the cage, particularly one with the size and strength of Hardy, perhaps we should make sure he understands the rules, like the ones put in place to keep people from dying.
It’s not like it’s never happened.
“I was in a bad place, bro,” Hardy said. “It kind of hurt me. You guys cover me for a long time, I hate losing, bro. I’m not a loser, for one. For two, I hate people thinking that I’m a cheater and just the way that it was all formed and shaped. It kind of hurt me, man.”
As a result of last weekend’s second-round blunder, Allen Crowder walked away as the winner. No telling what UFC has in store for Hardy next, but it’s guaranteed that he’ll get another fight, baggage and all.
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