5 reasons why UFC 272 should mark the end of Greg Hardy's time in the octagon

#4. Greg Hardy has failed to stay away from controversy inside the octagon

Greg Hardy has failed to avoid controversy since arriving in the octagon

Greg Hardy’s checkered past outside of the octagon may well have been easier to forget about had he been able to stay controversy-free during his fights. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

Hardy’s octagon debut against Allen Crowder saw him start strongly. However, he began to fade as the fight went into the second round. When he used an illegal knee to essentially knock him out, forcing the referee to call a disqualification, it was easy to jump to the conclusion that he’d thrown the strike out of frustration.

‘The Prince of War’ did win his next two bouts following that, but his fourth visit to the octagon was another controversy-filled one. He edged out Ben Sosoli in a dull, slow-paced fight, only for the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission to overturn the result later that night.

The reason? Hardy used an inhaler between rounds, despite not declaring that he would be required to use it prior to the fight. Sure, it wasn’t like he’d used anabolic steroids, but this was perhaps the most flagrant use of a banned substance in UFC history.

Hardy has since stayed away from any controversy during his fights, but these two incidents still make it difficult to fully trust him as a professional fighter. That means it’d be best for the UFC to let him go after this weekend.

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#3. At the age of 33, Greg Hardy is no longer a prospect

At the age of 33, Greg Hardy can no longer be considered a prospect as such

Part of the reason why it must be tempting for the UFC to simply let Greg Hardy depart the promotion after this weekend is the fact that he’s lost his last two bouts, both by TKO.

In fact, ‘The Prince of War’ hardly has a strong record overall, with his ledger inside the octagon currently standing at 4-4-1.

This would obviously be more palatable if Hardy was a highly-touted prospect, but the fact is that at the age of 33, it’s hard to consider the former NFL defensive end a prospect at this point.

In fact, if anything, it could be argued that he’s either reaching the end of his athletic prime, or is just about there now.

Sure, the UFC’s heavyweight division does tend to house older fighters than its other weight classes. Reigning heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou is almost two years older than Hardy, for instance. However, he’s been at the top of his game for a number of years now.

Simply put, to reach the top of the division, Hardy needs to make some massive improvements. The chances of him doing that at this point seem very low, meaning the UFC would probably be better off just moving on from him.