Greg Hardy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Greg Hardy

Hardy with the Cowboys in 2015
No. 76
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1988-07-28) July 28, 1988 (age 37) Millington, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:	Briarcrest (Eads, Tennessee)
College:	Ole Miss
NFL Draft:	2010 / Round: 6 / Pick: 175
Career history
Carolina Panthers (2010–2014) Dallas Cowboys (2015) Richmond Roughriders (2018)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Pro (2013) Pro Bowl (2013) Second-team All-American (2007) First-team All-SEC (2007) Second-team All-SEC (2008)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 75 Tackles: 238 Sacks: 40.0 Forced fumbles: 8
Player stats at PFR

Gregory McKarl Hardy (born July 28, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and former football defensive end. He played football for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the Carolina Panthers.

Hardy played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels. The Panthers picked him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. His best season was in 2013. He set a Panthers record for sacks that year. This earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.

However, a controversy during the following off-season led to him not being re-signed by the Panthers. He played only one game with them in 2014. Hardy spent his last NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys. After his football career, Hardy became a mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2019 to 2022.

Early Life and Sports

Greg Hardy grew up in Millington, Tennessee. He went to Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tennessee. There, he was a talented athlete in three sports. He played football, basketball, and competed in track.

High School Football Achievements

In football, Hardy helped his team win the state championship in 2004. As a senior, he made 65 tackles. This included 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. He also caught 48 passes for 268 yards as a receiver. Hardy played alongside offensive tackle Michael Oher in both high school and college.

Basketball and Track & Field

In basketball, he was named honorable mention all-state as a junior. For track and field, Hardy was a sprinter and a shot putter. He ran the 200-meter dash in 24.04 seconds as a sophomore. His best shot put throw was 14.47 meters (47 feet, 6 inches). He also had a 4.8-second 40-yard dash and a 28-inch vertical jump.

College Recruitment

Experts like Rivals.com saw Hardy as a three-star football prospect. He was ranked among the top defensive ends. Super Prep rated him as the No. 5 player in Tennessee. He was also named All-Metro by The Commercial Appeal.

College Football Career

Hardy accepted a football scholarship from the University of Mississippi. He played for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Freshman and Sophomore Years

As a freshman, he played in all 12 games. He started 9 games as a left defensive end. He had 49 tackles, 3 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles. He even caught a 23-yard touchdown pass as a wide receiver.

In his sophomore year, he played in 10 games. He recorded 64 tackles and led the conference with 10 sacks. He also had 18.5 tackles for loss.

Junior and Senior Seasons

As a junior, Hardy missed the first three games due to foot surgery. He played in 9 games that season. He recorded 18 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Many thought he was one of the best pass rushers for the 2009 NFL draft. However, he chose to stay at Ole Miss for his senior year.

In January 2009, he had a second surgery on his right foot. He had another foot injury in July 2009, which put him back in a walking cast. As a senior, he played in 9 games. He missed the last three regular-season games due to a fractured left wrist. He finished his college career with 39.5 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks.

College Basketball

Hardy also played college basketball during the 2006–07 season. He appeared in 15 games. He averaged almost one point and two rebounds per game. His best game was against the University of Florida. He scored 6 points and had 4 rebounds in that game.

Professional Football Career

Before the 2010 NFL draft, Hardy was seen as a top prospect by Sports Illustrated. However, injuries and a less-than-impressive combine performance caused his draft stock to drop.

Carolina Panthers (2010–2014)

The Carolina Panthers selected Greg Hardy in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the 175th player chosen overall. He signed his contract on June 17, 2010. In his first game, Hardy blocked a punt for a safety. He also forced a fumble and made 4 tackles.

As a rookie, Hardy played in 15 games but did not start any. He finished the year with 30 tackles, 3 sacks, and two forced fumbles. In 2012, he recorded 11 sacks despite breaking his thumb. On November 9, 2012, Hardy was fined $15,750 for a roughing the passer penalty.

In June 2013, Hardy told reporters his goal was 50 sacks for the 2013 season. This was more than twice the current record. He said, "Why shoot low, right? If I'm going to shoot at it, I'm going to shoot at it with a .50 caliber."

In a game against the Atlanta Falcons, Hardy set a team record with four sacks. He ended the season with a team-record 15 sacks. This earned him his first trip to the 2014 Pro Bowl. He was also named a second-team All Pro. The Panthers' defense was strong in 2013. They led the NFL with 60 sacks. Hardy was ranked 53rd in the NFL Top 100 for his great performance.

The Panthers placed the franchise tag on Hardy in February 2014. This meant he would return for the 2014 season. Hardy played the first game of the 2014 season. However, he was then placed on the commissioner's exempt list for the rest of the season. In March 2015, the Panthers decided not to re-sign Hardy. Owner Jerry Richardson said the team wanted to "do the right things."

Dallas Cowboys (2015)

On March 18, 2015, Hardy signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys hoped he would be a key player at right defensive end. Many people criticized the Cowboys for signing him.

On April 22, Hardy was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2015 season. This was due to violating the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. On July 10, the NFL reduced his suspension to 4 games.

His first game after the suspension was against the New England Patriots. He had two sacks and five hits on quarterback Tom Brady. Two games later, he intercepted a pass from Russell Wilson against the Seattle Seahawks. After a strong start, Hardy's performance slowed down. He led the team in quarterback pressures (32) and was second in sacks (6). However, only three of those sacks came in the last nine games. The Cowboys chose not to re-sign Hardy after the season.

Other Football Leagues

Hardy played in The Spring League in 2017. He then signed with the Richmond Roughriders of the American Arena League in January 2018.

NFL Career Statistics

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Greg Hardy
Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 143 post fight interview
Other names	Prince Of War
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight	266 lb (121 kg)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Fighting out of	Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
Team	American Top Team (2016–2020)
Trainer	Din Thomas Rashad Evans
Years active	2017–present (MMA)
Professional boxing record
Total	4
Wins	3
By knockout	2
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	13
Wins	7
By knockout	6
By decision	1
Losses	5
By knockout	3
By decision	1
By disqualification	1
No contests	1
Amateur record
Total	3
Wins	3
By knockout	3

In October 2016, Greg Hardy announced he would start a mixed martial arts (MMA) career. He had been training for several months, even though he had no prior MMA experience.

Amateur MMA Fights

Hardy made his amateur MMA debut on November 4, 2017. He won by knockout in just 32 seconds. His amateur record improved to 2–0 on December 1, 2017, with another first-round TKO victory. On February 16, 2018, Hardy won his third amateur fight by knockout in 14 seconds.

Professional MMA Fights

In April 2018, Hardy made his professional debut at Dana White's Contender Series 9. He fought fellow former NFL player Austen Lane and won by knockout in the first round. After this win, he was given a contract by the UFC.

For his second professional fight, Hardy faced Tebaris Gordon on August 7, 2018. He won by TKO in the first minute of the fight. After this win, Hardy said he was fully committed to his MMA career. He would only consider returning to the NFL if it was with the Dallas Cowboys or Carolina Panthers. His third professional fight was on September 29, 2018. He won by knockout in 53 seconds.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

With an undefeated professional record of 3–0, Hardy made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on January 19, 2019. He fought Allen Crowder and lost the fight by disqualification. Hardy hit Crowder with his knee while Crowder was on the ground, which is against the rules.

For his second UFC fight, Hardy faced Dmitry Smolyakov on April 27, 2019. He won the fight by TKO in the first round. Hardy then faced Juan Adams on July 20, 2019. He won that fight by TKO in the first round as well.

Hardy was scheduled to fight Jarjis Danho in October 2019, but Danho withdrew. Hardy then fought Ben Sosoli on October 18, 2019. He originally won by decision. However, the decision was changed to a "no contest" because Hardy used an inhaler between rounds without permission.

Hardy then stepped in to fight Alexander Volkov on November 9, 2019. Hardy lost this fight by decision. On May 9, 2020, Hardy won his fight against Yorgan De Castro by decision. Hardy faced Maurice Greene on October 31, 2020. He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round.

Hardy fought Marcin Tybura on December 19, 2020. He lost the fight in the second round by technical knockout. Hardy faced Tai Tuivasa on July 10, 2021. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Hardy was scheduled to fight Aleksei Oleinik on January 22, 2022, but Oleynik withdrew. Serghei Spivac replaced him. However, Hardy also withdrew due to a finger injury. The fight was moved to March 5, 2022. Hardy lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round. After this fight, Hardy's contract with the UFC ended, and he was not re-signed.

Post-UFC Career

Hardy was scheduled to fight Chase Sherman on November 15, 2024, but he withdrew. On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Hardy was eligible for the Global Fight League draft. However, he was not drafted for the 2025 season. In April 2025, all GFL events were cancelled.

Professional Boxing Career

Hardy vs. Cook

On October 8, 2022, Hardy made his professional boxing debut against Mike Cook. Hardy won by knockout in the second round.

Rahman Jr. vs. Hardy

On November 19, 2022, Hardy fought American professional boxer Hasim Rahman Jr.. Hardy took this fight with only one week's notice. He defeated Rahman Jr. by unanimous decision.

Corbin vs. Hardy

On September 30, 2023, Hardy fought American professional boxer Gregory Corbin. He won the fight when Corbin retired after the first round.

Papin vs. Hardy

On December 13, 2024, Hardy faced Alexei Papin in Russia. He was knocked out in the third round.

Bare-Knuckle Boxing Career

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

After his time in the UFC, news came out on June 15, 2022, that Hardy had signed a contract with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Hardy made his bare-knuckle debut against Josh Watson on February 17, 2023. Hardy lost the fight by knockout in the second round.

Exhibition Boxing Career

Team Combat League

Hardy has competed in many exhibition rounds with the Team Combat League boxing promotion. On June 2, 2023, Hardy was knocked out by Alexander Flores. This was his first loss since joining the Dallas Enforcers boxing team. On May 23, 2024, Hardy was knocked out by professional boxer Patrick Mailata.

Championships and Awards

Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2019: Ranked #9 Newcomer of the Year

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Professional Boxing Record

Exhibition Boxing Record

Bare-Knuckle Boxing Record

Images for kids

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  Hardy with the Cowboys in 2015

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  Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 143 post fight interview

See also

In Spanish: Greg Hardy para niños