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Everything You Need to Know About Greg Hardy Before UFC 264

By Lucas Coll July 10, 2021

UFC 264 is happening this evening, and everybody is lining up to see Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier settle their 1-1 score with a trilogy bout — but there are some other great matchups on deck. Also on the main card is NFL player-turned-MMA-fighter Greg Hardy, who is facing Tai Tuivasa in a heavyweight contest. Here’s everything to know about Hardy before the fight.

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Greg Hardy, aged 32, hails from Tennessee. He attended high school in Memphis and earned letters in multiple sports including football, helping his team make it to the 2004 Tennessee state championship. Hardy won an athletic scholarship from the University of Mississippi and was eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft in his junior year, but opted to keep playing for Ole Miss as a senior.

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He was then picked up in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers and signed a contract in June. He quickly made a name for himself and had a breakout performance in 2013, but his career was temporarily sidelined by a domestic violence case in 2014 which was ultimately dropped during appeal when the victim failed to appear in court. The Panthers decided to cut Hardy loose in 2015, and he signed on with the Dallas Cowboys for one year as a free agent.

However, Hardy was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2015 season, although the domestic violence charges were ultimately expunged from his record in November of that year. Upon returning, he started strong but quickly lost momentum. The Cowboys decided not to re-sign him for the next season. This effectively ended Hardy’s time in professional football, and in October 2016, he announced that he was embarking on an MMA career.

Hardy fought and won three amateur MMA bouts before going pro in April 2018, making his debut in the second season of Dana White’s Contender Series. He defeated former NFL player Austen Lane via first-round knockout and was then signed by the UFC. Hardy has fought ten fights since then, racking up a record of seven victories, three losses, and one no contest (an initial win that was overturned due to Hardy using an inhaler between rounds).

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Now, Hardy is set to face Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa on the main card at UFC 264 tonight. This marks the former football player’s second main card performance at a pay-per-view event, and you can watch UFC 264 online by signing up for ESPN+ and grabbing the PPV now. The main event begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT.

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UFC 276 is a pay-per-view event, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship always brings the heat with these numbered monthly exhibitions. You can expect at least one championship bout for such events, but UFC 276 features two: The main event is a showdown for the UFC Middleweight Championship, with Israel Adesanya defending his title against Jared Cannonier. For the co-main, UFC Featherweight Championship Alexander Volkanovski is facing title challenger Max Holloway.

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Charles Oliveira’s Record Going into UFC 274 & Best Performances

Charles Oliveira fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 256.

On Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona, UFC Lightweight Champion Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira is facing down top title contender Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. This will be Oliveira's second title defense since winning the belt in 2021. If you're looking to watch UFC 274 online this weekend and want to know more about the defending champ, we've picked out a few of the best fights and finishes from his long MMA career. After reading up, be sure to sign up for ESPN+ and grab the pay-per-view so you can stream UFC 274 live.

Charles Oliveira has been a staple of the UFC lightweight roster for more than a decade and has racked up an incredible record of 32 wins, eight losses, and one no-contest throughout his professional career. "Do Bronx," so nicknamed due to his poor upbringing in a favela in Sao Paolo, Brazil, seemed an unlikely candidate to become UFC Lightweight Champion. His journey through the division has been long and bumpy, and he has bounced between lightweight, featherweight, and catchweight during his 12 years with the UFC. You could write a short book about Oliveira's 41 professional bouts, but here are five of the champion's best and most career-defining finishes leading up to UFC 274:
UFC on Versus 2: Oliveira vs. Elkins
Oliveira's career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship began in 2010 when he made his league debut at UFC on Versus 2. There, he faced Darren Elkins at lightweight. After a rocky start with Elkins seeming to take the high ground early on, Oliveira immediately recovered from a slam to the mat and submitted his foe in the first minute of the first round with an armbar. It was a fitting preview of things to come, marking the beginning of Oliveira's knack for upsets as well as his run as one of the top submission artists in the lightweight division; a whopping 20 of his 32 professional victories have come via submission.
UFC Fight Night 170: Oliveira vs. Lee
UFC Fight Night 170 was notable for being the last show in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the promotion to postpone further events. Charles Oliveira faced Kevin Lee, another top 10 lightweight, as the headliner on the main card in front of an empty arena. The event took place in Oliveira's home country of Brazil, and although Lee was favored to win, Do Bronx clinched an upset victory with a guillotine choke submission in the first minute of the third round. This win earned Oliveira a co-headlining spot on the UFC 256 main card against Tony Ferguson, setting him up as a real contender for a future title shot. Oliveira's victory at UFC Fight Night 170 also accelerated his upward trajectory which would soon culminate in him becoming the champion of one of the most top-heavy divisions in the UFC.
UFC 256: Oliveira vs. Ferguson

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What Channel Is Fury vs. Whyte on Today? Watch Boxing Live

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Today, boxing history is being made as Tyson "Gypsy King" Fury is fighting what looks to be his last bout. The lineal WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion will be defending his throne against challenger Dillian Whyte, the interim WBC heavyweight champion, at Wembley Stadium in London, England. This is a pay-per-view event, and if you're trying to find out what channel Fury vs. Whyte is on today so you can watch it live in the U.S., we've got everything you need to know right here.

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