Greg Hardy's UFC Contract Expires, No Longer Listed on Promotion's Roster

Former NFL defensive end turned MMA fighter Greg Hardy is no longer under contract with UFC.

According to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, UFC officials confirmed Wednesday that Hardy's deal was one of four that expired and he has been removed from UFC's roster.

Before transitioning to MMA and having 12 fights under the UFC umbrella, Hardy spent six seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.

The 33-year-old Hardy went 3-0 with three first-round technical knockouts in three amateur fights before competing in two fights as part of UFC president Dana White's Contender Series. Hardy won both of those fights by first-round knockout as well and earned a UFC contract.

In 13 professional fights overall, Hardy is 7-5 with one no contest. Included in that is arguably his biggest win, which was a unanimous decision over Yorgan de Castro at UFC 249 in May 2020.

Hardy followed that up by beating Maurice Greene at UFC Fight Night in December 2020, but success has eluded him ever since.

Hardy lost each of his final three UFC fights, falling to Marcin Tybura, Tai Tuivasa and Sergey Spivak, all by knockout.

His most recent bout was against Spivak at UFC 272 on March 5, and it ended just 2:16 into the first round.

Following the loss to Spivak, Hardy made a post on Instagram that could have been construed as a farewell to UFC, writing: "What a run, ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do. Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly I appreciate my coaches, family, and the @ufc for giving me the opportunity to shine bright."

Hardy is perhaps best known for playing in the NFL from 2010 through 2015 and earning one Pro Bowl nod during that time.

He had back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks in 2012 and 2013 with the Panthers, including a career-high 15 in 2013.

Hardy appeared in just one game in 2014, however, after being placed on the NFL's exempt list amid allegations that he assaulted his ex-girlfriend.

While Hardy was originally found guilty of assault and communicating threats, the charges against him were ultimately expunged from his record when he appealed and the woman declined to appear for a jury trial.

Hardy would play one final season in the NFL with the Cowboys in 2015, registering six sacks in 12 games.

All told, Hardy recorded 238 tackles, 40 sacks, eight forced fumbles and one interception in 75 career regular-season games.

If Hardy wants to continue his MMA career despite his UFC departure, other promotions such as Bellator, PFL and ONE Championship could be on his radar.