SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JULY 20: Greg Hardy stands in his corner prior to facing Juan Adams in their ... [+]
Greg Hardy returns to the octagon on Friday for his fourth UFC bout. After his win over Juan Adams in July, the former NFL player said he wanted a ranked opponent for his next matchup. Instead, the UFC booked Hardy against promotional newcomer Ben Sosoli. The two heavyweights meet on the main card of UFC on ESPN 6.
Sosoli is on a four-fight winning streak. Three of those wins came via first-round knockout. His other victory during that run was a third-round knockout. Overall, Sosoli, who is 7-2, has gone the distance three times.
Hardy washed out of the NFL after the 2015 season after stints with the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.
The ex-NFL player has faced domestic violence and drug possession charges. In 2014 Hardy was found guilty of assault and making threats to a former girlfriend by a Mecklenburg County, North Carolina judge. Hardy appealed that conviction and asked for a jury trial. The charges against Hardy were dismissed and expunged from his criminal record prior to the start of that 2015 trial when Hardy's former girlfriend refused to cooperate with prosecutors.
Hardy began his MMA career in 2017. He is 5-1 with five first-round knockout wins.
Judging from their past fights, fans can expect this one to be a slugfest.
If Sosoli is wise, his number one goal will be to make it out of the first round without getting tagged by one of Hardy's big punches. Hardy has exerted an enormous amount of energy early in his fights looking for the knockout. He has shown a tendency to fade as his scraps go longer. In his only bout that made it into the second round, Hardy looked panicked and tired. He was disqualified in that contest after he landed an illegal knee to the head of Allen Crowder.
If Sosoli does have any ground skills, he would be wise to put them into action early in this fight.
Pick: Hardy
UFC on ESPN 6 takes place Friday, Oct. 18 at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The entire card airs on ESPN 2.
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