Greg Hardy is back on the map. The former NFL star defensive lineman made his amateur mixed martial arts debut on Saturday night in Fort Pierce, Florida,  at "Rise of a Warrior 21" by scoring a 32-second knockout over fellow amateur Joe Hawkins.

Hardy, who most recently played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, was tagged a bit to start the fight but rallied rather quickly to earn his first win as an MMA fighter.

"I'm ecstatic. I've been humbled a lot in the last two years," Hardy said via ESPN. "I'm just super excited to be able to compete. I'm just super excited to be back in the area. I'm super excited to be back to the Greg Hardy everyone knows and remembers and give back to my fans."

Hardy has been training with one of the top MMA camps in the world in American Top Team to prepare himself for the fight. Although it was just his first first, Hardy has big plans for his future, which he hopes results in becoming a part of UFC.

"I'd be a fool to turn away from what I loved doing for so long," Hardy said. "But it's a habit of an athlete, a player and a baller to put his whole heart and soul into what I'm doing. So the UFC has got my heart and soul. That's where I'm going in my mind and my heart. Everything that I do is focused on this MMA career, so I'm coming."