From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Greg Hardy made an impact.
Greg Hardy is an American athlete known for his careers in both American football and mixed martial arts. He played as a defensive end in the NFL for six seasons, most notably with the Carolina Panthers. Following his NFL career, Hardy transitioned to mixed martial arts and boxing, marking a career shift to combat sports.
2004: State Championship in Football
In 2004, Greg Hardy helped lead his high school football team to the state championship.
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2006: Basketball Season
In 2006, Greg Hardy played in 15 basketball games, averaging just under one point and two rebounds per contest.
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2007: Performance in SEC Tournament
In 2007, Greg Hardy had his best basketball performance against the University of Florida in the SEC tournament, scoring 6 points and 4 rebounds.
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April 2009: Named Top Prospect
In April 2009, Greg Hardy was named a top prospect for the 2010 NFL draft by Sports Illustrated.
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2009: Considered for NFL Draft, Returns to Ole Miss
In 2009, Greg Hardy was considered a top prospect for the NFL draft, but elected to return to Ole Miss for his senior season.
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June 17, 2010: Signed Contract with Panthers
On June 17, 2010, Greg Hardy signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers.
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2010: Drafted by Carolina Panthers
In 2010, Greg Hardy was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the NFL.
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2012: Recorded 11 Sacks Despite Injury
In 2012, Greg Hardy recorded 11 sacks despite sustaining a broken thumb in September.
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June 11, 2013: Hardy States Goal for 50 Sacks
On June 11, 2013, Greg Hardy spoke to reporters claiming his goal for sacks in the 2013 season to be 50.
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2013: Record-Setting Season
In 2013, Greg Hardy finished with a single game team record of four sacks and ended up recording a team-record 15 sacks, earning his first trip to the 2014 Pro Bowl and being named a second-team All Pro.
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2013: Successful Season with Panthers
In 2013, Greg Hardy had a successful season setting a Carolina Panthers' single-season record for sacks and earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.
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February 28, 2014: Franchise Tag
On February 28, 2014, the Carolina Panthers placed the franchise tag on Greg Hardy.
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March 18, 2015: Signed with Dallas Cowboys
On March 18, 2015, Greg Hardy signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
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October 2016: Announced MMA Career
In October 2016, Greg Hardy announced he would start a mixed martial arts career.
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November 4, 2017: Amateur MMA Debut
On November 4, 2017, Greg Hardy made his amateur MMA debut, defeating Joe Hawkins by knockout.
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December 1, 2017: Second Amateur MMA Win
On December 1, 2017, Greg Hardy's amateur MMA record improved to 2-0 with a first-round TKO victory over Kenneth Woods.
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2017: Participated in The Spring League
In 2017, Greg Hardy participated in The Spring League.
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January 2018: Signed with Richmond Roughriders
In January 2018, Greg Hardy signed with the Richmond Roughriders of the American Arena League.
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February 16, 2018: Third Amateur MMA Win
On February 16, 2018, Greg Hardy was victorious in his third amateur bout, defeating Ryan Chester via knockout.
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April 2018: Professional Debut Announced
In April 2018, it was announced that Greg Hardy would make his professional debut at Dana White's Contender Series 9 on June 12.
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September 29, 2018: Third Professional Fight
On September 29, 2018, Greg Hardy faced Rasheem Jones at Xtreme Fight Night 352 and won by knockout in the first round.
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January 19, 2019: UFC Debut and Loss via Disqualification
On January 19, 2019, Greg Hardy made his UFC debut against Allen Crowder and lost via disqualification due to an illegal knee strike.
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April 27, 2019: Second UFC Fight
On April 27, 2019, Greg Hardy faced Dmitry Smolyakov at UFC Fight Night and won via TKO in the first round.
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July 20, 2019: UFC Fight
On July 20, 2019, Greg Hardy faced Juan Adams at UFC on ESPN 4 and won the fight via TKO in the first round.
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October 26, 2019: Fight Rescheduled
On October 26, 2019, Greg Hardy was scheduled to face Jarjis Danho, but he was pulled from the event. Hardy was then rescheduled to fight Ben Sosoli.
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November 9, 2019: UFC Fight
On November 9, 2019, Greg Hardy faced Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night 163, losing by unanimous decision.
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2019: Signed with UFC
In 2019, Greg Hardy signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
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May 9, 2020: UFC Fight
On May 9, 2020, Greg Hardy fought Yorgan De Castro and won by unanimous decision.
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October 31, 2020: UFC Fight
On October 31, 2020, Greg Hardy faced Maurice Greene at UFC Fight Night 181 and won by technical knockout in round two.
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December 19, 2020: UFC Fight
On December 19, 2020, Greg Hardy faced Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 183. He lost the fight in the second round via technical knockout.
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July 10, 2021: UFC Fight
On July 10, 2021, Greg Hardy faced Tai Tuivasa at UFC 264 and lost the fight via knockout in round one.
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January 22, 2022: UFC 270 Bout Removal
On January 22, 2022, Greg Hardy was scheduled to fight Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 270, but Oleinik withdrew. Serghei Spivac was to replace him, but Hardy withdrew due to a finger injury, removing the bout from the event.
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March 5, 2022: Loss to Spivac at UFC 272
On March 5, 2022, Greg Hardy fought Serghei Spivac at UFC 272, losing the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
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June 15, 2022: Signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
On June 15, 2022, it was reported that Greg Hardy signed a multi-fight contract with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship after his UFC tenure.
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October 8, 2022: Professional Boxing Debut
On October 8, 2022, Greg Hardy made his professional boxing debut against Mike Cook, winning by knockout in the 2nd round.
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November 19, 2022: Victory over Hasim Rahman Jr.
On November 19, 2022, Greg Hardy defeated Hasim Rahman Jr. by unanimous decision on the undercard of MF & DAZN: X Series 003, taking the fight on one week's notice.
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2022: End of UFC run
In 2022, Greg Hardy's time in the UFC came to an end.
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February 17, 2023: Bare-Knuckle Debut Loss
On February 17, 2023, Greg Hardy made his bare-knuckle debut against Josh Watson at BKFC KnuckleMania 3, losing the fight by knockout in round 2.
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June 2, 2023: Knockout Loss to Alexander Flores
On June 2, 2023, Greg Hardy was knocked out by Alexander Flores in an exhibition round with Team Combat League boxing promotion, marking his first loss since joining the Dallas Enforcers boxing team.
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September 30, 2023: Victory over Gregory Corbin
On September 30, 2023, Greg Hardy defeated Gregory Corbin by retirement after the first round at the Tower Club in Dallas.
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May 23, 2024: Knockout Loss to Patrick Mailata
On May 23, 2024, Greg Hardy was knocked out by professional boxer Patrick Mailata in an exhibition round.
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November 15, 2024: Withdrawal from Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 8
On November 15, 2024, Greg Hardy was scheduled to face Chase Sherman at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 8, but withdrew for unknown reasons.
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December 11, 2024: Eligible for Global Fight League Draft
On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Greg Hardy was eligible to be drafted into the Global Fight League.
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December 13, 2024: Loss to Alexei Papin
On December 13, 2024, Greg Hardy faced Alexei Papin in Russia and was knocked out in the third round.
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2025: Undrafted in Global Fight League
In 2025, Greg Hardy was not drafted for the Global Fight League season.
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