It's the beatdown that many were waiting for.
Former NFL star turned UFC fighter Greg Hardy on Sunday (AEDT) copped his first stoppage loss in the cage, a TKO inflicted by Marcin Tybura.
The heavyweights fought in Las Vegas and Hardy felt the full force of Tybura's ground and pound. The fight was stopped by veteran referee Dan Miragliotta late in the second round, with Tybura unloading at will on his helpless opponent.
Hardy, 32, suffered his third pro MMA defeat, though the previous two losses came via disqualification and decision. He dropped to 7-3 (1 NC), while Tybura, 35, claimed his fourth consecutive win to improve to 21-6.
Hardy is a reviled figure among many fight fans due to an assault conviction during his NFL career, over an incident involving his former girlfriend, Nicole Holder.
Hardy, who played with the Carolina Panthers at the time of the incident and later joined the Dallas Cowboys, was convicted in 2014 after a bench trial. However, he appealed the decision and the case was dismissed in 2015, after Holder stopped cooperating with authorities. Hardy also had the charges expunged from his record.
Later that year, Deadspin obtained a case file containing photos of the injuries allegedly inflicted by Hardy on Holder. The photos showed bruises all over Holder's body; she alleged during the trial that Hardy had thrown her against a tiled wall, thrown her on to a futon covered with assault rifles, choked her and threatened her life.
Hardy debuted in pro MMA in 2018 and was fast-tracked to the UFC after impressing in Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, scoring a 57-second knockout of Austen Lane in his first fight.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.