Ahead of UFC 272, many fans questioned controversial former NFL player Greg Hardy being included on yet another main card despite a two-fight losing skid and repeated failures against UFC-level competition. That bad run continued on Saturday night as Hardy was quickly taken down and dominated positionally by Serghei Spivac before being pounded out for a first-round TKO loss at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Hardy, whose NFL career ended amid allegations of domestic violence, opened the fight with heavy leg kicks. He was unable to manage distance, however, and Spivac was able to initiate a clinch. That was the beginning of the end for Hardy as Spivac executed a hip toss to put the fight on the floor.
Hardy managed to battle back to his feet only to have his back taken and the fight end up right back on the floor. After that takedown, Spivac wasted little time in advancing to mount and dropping heavy punches until the referee was forced to halt the bout at just the 2:16 mark of the first round.
THAT'S HOW YOU OPEN THE MAIN CARD!!!
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2022
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Spivac is now 4-1 in his five most recent fights, the lone loss coming to rising heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall this past September.
For Hardy, the loss could mark the end of his UFC tenure. While many fans have pushed back at the UFC's continuing to feature him despite clear technical shortcomings and his controversial past, the bout with Spivac was the last on his current UFC contract. With a 4-5 UFC record and no wins over men with any meaningful UFC success, the experiment may have reached its conclusion.
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