UFC Fight Night 143: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw - Predictions and Picks

#2 Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder

The controversial Greg Hardy makes his UFC debut this weekend

In the co-main event, we’ve got perhaps the most controversial debut in UFC history as former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy steps into the Octagon for the first time to face Allen Crowder in a Heavyweight tilt. For those who don’t know, Hardy has a chequered past involving drugs and domestic abuse, hence the controversy around his signing.

There’s little anyone can do about that now, though – Dana White has stated that everyone deserves a second chance – and so here we are. In terms of his fighting skill, we don’t know that much about Hardy given his entire professional career has lasted just over two minutes in three fights. He’s knocked out all three opponents, but the fact is that they weren’t all that skilled.

Hardy is undoubtedly an A+ athlete; he’s huge at 6’4” and 265lbs and he’s clearly in good shape, he hits like an absolute truck and seems to have decent striking skill, and he’s deceptively fast for a big man. Those skills alone should be enough to get him up the ladder to a certain extent in the UFC. But will they allow him to take out Crowder?

I’d have to say yes. Crowder holds a record of 9-3, but it’s no coincidence that two of the men he lost to – Curtis Blaydes and then Justin Willis in his UFC debut – were great athletes with exceptional speed and strength even at Heavyweight. In the fight with Willis, ‘Pretty Boy’ simply didn’t have an answer for Willis’s fast hands, and went down in the first round.

Crowder probably isn’t the worst Heavyweight on the UFC’s roster but I’m not sure how he stands up to the sheer ferocity of Hardy. Expect this one to go quickly.

The Pick: Hardy via first round knockout