Sergey Spivak stops Greg Hardy in the first at UFC 272

Feb 3, 2018; Belem, Brazil; View of the ring before UFC Fight Night at Mangueirinho Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

On the main card of UFC 272, we saw a clash of styles in a big time heavyweight matchup. Former NFL star Greg Hardy (7-4, 1 NC) returned to the octagon as he took on the veteran grappler, Sergey Spivak (13-3).

For Hardy, this was the final fight on his current UFC contract. There’s no word quite yet whether or not the promotion will bring him back. Currently, he’s on his first losing streak since he’s been with the UFC.

The last time we saw him was at UFC 264 when he took on Tai Tuivasa. Hardy rocked Tuivasa in the first round but rushed in carelessly and got knocked out. That was on the heels of a TKO loss to Marcin Tybura where Hardy gassed out being forced to grapple.

Sergey Spivak came into the UFC unbeaten and immediately lost two out of three fights. However, he really turned things around and won three fights in a row. That led him to a fight against Tom Aspinall that he dropped late last year. He was looking to get back on track against Greg Hardy this evening.

UFC 272 Recap

Round 1

The UFC 272 heavyweight contest kicked off with a touch of the gloves. Nice outside leg kick lands for Hardy and Spivak lands a jab. Another big low kick from Hardy  lands. Spivak lands a jab and uses it to get a body lock. Beautiful hip toss from Spivak and Hardy is on his back.

Spivak settles into half guard along the fence and he lands a couple of nice shots. The pressure from Spivak is heavy here, but Hardy uses the fence to get back to his feet. However, Spivak is on Hardy’s back and he drags him right back down to the ground.

Again, Hardy bounces up and gets dragged right back down. Spivak ends up in the mount and he starts raining down bombs on Hardy. The referee stops the action and Sergey Spivak just made a statement at UFC 272.

Sergey Spivak def. Greg Hardy by TKO – Round 1