This past weekend heavyweights kicked off the main card of UFC 272. Former All-Pro NFL player Greg Hardy (7-5, 1 NC) was back as he was taking on the very tough and durable Sergey Spivak (14-3).
For Hardy, it was the final fight of his current UFC contract. Thus far in his career with the promotion, Greg Hardy has done well in terms of his base pay compared to other fighters with his experience.
Obviously, he got a decent contract considering his name and history with the NFL. Starting with his first official UFC fight, he was making at least $75,000 to show for every single one of his fights.
In fact, his pay actually increased by small amounts in every fight that he had. Early on, it looked like Hardy would be successful in the UFC. Just a few fights ago, he was 7-2 and had gone the distance in a fight with UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov.
However, he had lost two in a row leading up to UFC 272 and things didn’t go well for him Saturday night. Sergey Spivak dominated Hardy and was able to get him to the ground early. Once there, Hardy had no answered and Spivak stopped him in the first round.
Is the UFC experiment over?
In reality, Greg Hardy had a decent run with the UFC. He got to compete against some top contenders and had some very solid moments. However, the performance at this point just doesn’t justify the payment.
As mentioned, Hardy completed his contract and ends things on a three-fight losing streak. Will the UFC decide to bring him back? I would say at the current price or current contract, there’s no way that Hardy is coming back.
If he’s willing to take a pay cut, I could see a scenario where they’d bring him back. However, given his stature, it’s hard for me to see that. I think he will still keep fighting and ultimately he will end up with either PFL or Bellator. However, I think his UFC days are over after Saturday night.