The UFC is pretty harsh about keeping convicted domestic abusers off their roster unless the promotion thinks they can make money off it. In the vein of ‘any publicity is good publicity’, the UFC is grinning all the way to the bank as they promote former NFL player Greg Hardy.
Hardy was black balled from the NFL not because he wasn’t talented but because of his trail of domestic violence against women was too long for any team to ignore.
Too violent for the NFL? Nope, too violent towards women for the NFL.
Last night (Jun. 13) the UFC booked Greg Hardy for his pro MMA debut on their Dana White Fight Pass show. This was a brilliant marketing move by the UFC. Use a Hardy shaped lightening rod to attract attention to the series premiere of one of their shows.
Hardy KO’d his opponent and earned himself a developmental contract with the UFC. MMA heavyweights are in low supply and it would be shocking if he doesn’t eventually make it to a real UFC fight.
Turns out Greg Hardy can beat people other then his girlfriend as he makes his #MMA debut tonight pic.twitter.com/pH5ahrMaK5
— Brad Russell (@Brad1590) June 13, 2018
This isn’t about second chances because Hardy had so many chances in the NFL, he blew through them all so he could physically harm women. Now Hardy is under the UFC’s promotional umbrella and he’s already been marketed better than many fighters already on the roster. If Hardy wants to use his athletic talents and petition for violence inside a MMA cage, the UFC cannot stop him from doing so.
Just a little blurb from Dana White in 2014 after they cut Will Chope. That last paragraph seems more relevant than ever now that they're on ESPN in 2019.https://t.co/RlQChZGBGb pic.twitter.com/D5hcNPj3JE
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) June 13, 2018
The UFC does have the power not to sign Greg Hardy, not promote him, not feature him on Fight Pass but they choose not to do so. This was done on purpose. The UFC does not care about your criminal past and history of domestic abuse if they think they can make money off of you.
H/T to Deadspin for the banner pic and their 2015 reporting on Hardy. Check out their full ‘This Is Why NFL Star Greg Hardy Was Arrested For Assaulting His Ex-Girlfriend’ post here
