Former NFL player Greg Hardy today fought for the second time in the UFC octagon and scored a brutal first-round knockout of Dmitry Smoliakov, thus improving his overall MMA record to 4-1 with 3 first round knockout wins.
He was given the co-main event slot in just his second pro fight. This, however, has got many people upset considering his past with domestic violence.
Hardy was sentenced in 2014 by a North Carolina judge to 18 months’ probation, with a 60-day jail sentence suspended, after he was found guilty of assaulting a female and communicating threats. A member of the Carolina Panthers at the time, the 2013 Pro Bowler had been accused by an ex-girlfriend of using physical force against her after they had a night of drinking, and of putting his hands around her neck and threatening to kill her.
However, Hardy denied assaulting the women and his current MMA coach Billy Padden doesn’t believe that his fighter assaulted the women and explained why he believed so.
“I watch Greg Hardy hit grown men and make them limp as a noodle in seconds,” Padden said. “If he had any malice the night of this alleged incident, the woman would be dead.”
“The Greg Hardy I know is one of the best living guys I’ve met down here,” Padden said.
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