Greg Hardy Says He's Willing to Live on Dana White's 'Fight Island'

Former NFL defensive end and current UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy said he's willing to live on UFC president Dana White's Fight Island during the coronavirus pandemic.

White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that Fight Island is expected to debut in June after the promotion runs three events in eight days starting May 9 in Florida. Hardy, who's scheduled to fight Yorgan De Castro at UFC 249, explained to TMZ Sports he's ready to go all-in on the idea.

"I'm saying it right now Dana, man, listen, if you got [living] quarters ... if you have quarters, I'll stay on the island, bro," Hardy said. "I'm not ashamed to move in. We can fight every couple of weeks, dude. ... With all seriousness. Let's run it."

Hardy has posted a 5-2 record with one no contest through eight career MMA fights.

The 31-year-old Tennessee native's most recent fight was a loss to Alexander Volkov in November. He's still aiming to make a rapid rise up UFC's heavyweight rankings, however, and he's hopeful a quick succession of bouts on Fight Island can help his cause.

"This is my dream scenario," Hardy told TMZ. "After this fight, I come back, get this knockout [against De Castro]. Remind everybody who it is. I think the UFC [rankings] starts at top 15. I think we start with 15 and go down the line. Fifteen fights later I knock out the guy holding the belt, whoever it is."

Although exact plans for White's international destination for fights remain unclear, the UFC president told Okamoto he's got competitors looking for places on the cards in the coming months after what will end up being a nearly eight-week hiatus.

"They want to fight. People are hitting us up and want to fight," White said. "We're putting together three cards in a week. People who want to fight are going to get fights."

UFC's last event took place March 14 in Brazil.

Hardy's showcased plenty of potential thanks to his power during his early MMA fights—all five of his victories have come via knockout—but whether he'll be able to master the technical side of the sport enough to become the heavyweight champion is up for debate.

A victory over the undefeated De Castro (6-0) would be a nice step in the right direction.