“NFL Players Have Superior Athletes?”: Fans Make a Point as Greg Hardy Gets Knocked out in a “Weekly Ritual”

Former NFL Carolina Panthers player and former UFC fighter Greg Hardy hasn’t had the best career in combat sports. On May 23, the 35-year-old southpaw became a victim of one of the more brutal knockouts, which saw him crashing into the canvas in the first round against Patrick Mailata. However, a clip of Hardy getting slept has gone viral all the way back from June 2023, when he went toe-to-toe against Alexander Flores.

The one round exhibition boxing match transpired in the Team Combat league, where Hardy was knocked down by a vicious left hand and later dazed with a right before the referee put an end to the fight. And through such performances, the former NFL pro has built a reputation for himself for being an easy knockout. The same is evident from a clip on social media.

A series of unfortunate events

Hours earlier, MMA uncensored shared the clip in question with the caption reading, “Another Greg Hardy KO”. Having transitioned from NFL to UFC, Hardy quickly established a 3-0 amateur MMA record in the span of 2017 to 2018. He then made his professional debut in MMA and signed with the UFC in 2019. While there, he built up a record of 4-5 and one no contest. 

However, after suffering a first round defeat at the hands of Serghei Spivac, he was released from the organization. So, he moved on to boxing, where he appeared in professional and exhibition fights. That’s when he encountered Flores and suffered the knockdown. Meanwhile, after the fans discovered the footage, they went hog wild in the comment section.

Fans riddled with questions

Despite getting knocked out every other day, Greg Hardy seems to have somewhat of a fan base, who didn’t fail to highlight the regular occurrence in Hardy’s fights. Reflecting on the series of knockouts, one user suggested NFL players are superior beings who can live through anything. However, fighters often get blindsided by the symptoms of CTE—it doesn’t happen in one or two days.

Someone else questioned whether Hardy gets knocked out every other day. Looking at his track record, it’s hard to say no!

Another user asked the same question with different wording, wondering if the knockouts have become some sort of ritual. 

The next user mocked Hardy, suggesting he should have stayed in the NFL because he isn’t very good at boxing. Interestingly, many such transnational athletes often give up, but Hardy is cut from a different cloth.

One user highlighted Hardy’s fight against Patrick Mailata from May this year, where he, of course, got knocked out in the first round. 

It might be time for Greg Hardy to hang up the gloves, as his knockouts have become more popular than him. Also, Hardy is showing all the signs of slowing down as he approaches his 40s. What do you think—should Hardy retire?