Former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy had a lot to prove in his MMA debut on Saturday night.
Hardy took on Joe Hawkins at Rise of a Warrior 21 in Fort Pierce, Florida, and the fight featured some big blows right out of the gate. Hawkins came out with a flurry of punches, which knocked Hardy down for a brief moment. The former NFL’er then got up and landed a hard right, and he then followed that up with a kick to the leg and another right-handed blow to knock Hawkins out just 32 seconds into the fight.
Here is Greg Hardy's debut. He is in the blue gloves. https://t.co/w3mIPtFwAY
— Ted Gruber (@tedgruber) November 5, 2017
It was a step in the right direction for Hardy, who was once found guilty of domestic violence in 2014, but later saw the charges dropped. Then, after getting a second chance from the Dallas Cowboys, Hardy was arrested and charged with cocaine possession in 2016, which essentially put an end to his NFL career.
As far his chances of being a successful MMA fighter, that remains to be seen. Knocking out an opponent just 32 seconds into his debut is a good start, but he’ll need to face some tougher competition before we label him a legitimate fighter.
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