If [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] has it his way, he’ll be living on “Fight Island.”
UFC heavyweight and former NFL star Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) wants to fight six times this year. If UFC president Dana White allows him, Hardy said he’ll inhabit the island until he reaches his goal.
“I’m saying it right now,” Hardy told TMZ in a recent interview. “Dana, man, listen. If you’ve got quarters, I will stay on that island, bro. You know I’m not ashamed to move in. We can fight every couple of weeks, dude. With all seriousness, let’s run it. I’ll live on it and break my own record that I tied last year – 100 percent.”
When the UFC came calling for him to fight Yorgan De Castro at UFC 249 on May 9, Hardy said he eagerly accepted for two reasons. He wants to provide the public with entertainment in the midst of the pandemic and also finds a sense of camaraderie with the UFC to pull his weight.
“One, you know me. I’m entertaining, man,” Hardy said. “I’m always smiling and enjoying. Watching fights would be a perfect remedy for just everything that’s happening right now –watching some of your favorite entertainers go out and go crazy and enjoy themselves. Two, I think my mentality has always been the same as far as holding it down for the team. These guys need to put on a big card. They need some big draws. They need some people that are down to fight, you know, besides the BS. I wanted to be the first guy to step up and say, ‘I’ve got you guys.'”
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If he knocks out De Castro (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 249, Hardy thinks the victory will warrant a UFC-ranked opponent. With 15 options available, Hardy wants to start at the bottom and work his way up numerically – one by one.
“I think we start with 15 and go down the line,” Hardy said. “Fifteen fights later, I knock out the guy who’s holding the belt – whoever that is. You get the best show like that. Go down the whole line so everybody can just shush, calm down, wait their turn, and get knocked the crap out. I think it would be one, give me more time to get more experience with the best, which is what I need.
“… Nobody can talk trash because I’d be fighting all the best – everybody with a number. We do it the G. Hardy way – easily just eliminate everybody one by one on the island.”
UFC 249 takes place May 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card is expected to stream on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
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