Twitter did its thing when former Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hit the canvas in a brutal knockout in his latest UFC bout.
Things did not go according to plan for former Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy in his latest bout at UFC 264. The aspiring contender was sent to the canvas by Tai Tuivasa in a quick first-round knockout that wasn’t really in the script.
Hardy did appear to have Tuivasa hurt shortly prior to the punch that eventually ended the fight. Another strong learning curve for the 32-year-old who doesn’t exactly have time on his side if he wants to be realistically considered as a contender.
Where Hardy goes from here is up for debate.
There appears little doubt he’ll continue – bumps in the road happen plenty in the fight game. So how he responds in the face of adversity will be crucial.
To say Hardy isn’t exactly endeared is understating things slightly. His history of domestic abuse saw him go from one of the NFL’s brightest pass-rushers in Carolina to being blackballed from the league after a shocking video emerged when the former sixth-round pick was on the Dallas Cowboys.
People don’t forget this sort of thing. And getting knocked out by a guy who came out to ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls and chugged beer out of a shoe following his victory was all the Twitter community needed to do what it does best – produce hilarious reactions.
Twitter reacts to Greg Hardy getting knocked out at UFC 264.
Greg Hardy doesn’t have a win over anyone on the current UFC roster.
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) July 11, 2021
Everyone watching Greg Hardy get KOed pic.twitter.com/umtyx962Cq
— HARD FACTOR (@HardFactorNews) July 11, 2021
😳😳😳😳 #UFC264
— Tre Boston (@TreBos10) July 11, 2021
If an athletic but inexperienced fighter hurts an experienced fighter, he shouldn’t then start to exchange. Muscle memory wins, as Greg Hardy just found out. Tai Tuivasa with a spectacular, high profile win. #UFC264
— Max Kellerman (@maxkellerman) July 11, 2021
Greg Hardy: “They Don’t Wanna Play This Game With Me!!”
— ~ 𝑻𝑱 ~ 🏴🍻🥷🏻 (@theMMAtj) July 8, 2021
Also Greg Hardy: pic.twitter.com/Md55c4GYlc
Considering how Hardy got to this point, he knew the knives were going to be out for him.
People don’t forget.
Fighters lose, it happens. Hardy now has his work cut out trying to forge a successful career in the Mixed Martial Arts world and judging by his Instagram post following the defeat, he isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Hardy could have been one of Carolina’s greatest-ever edge rushers had he stayed on the straight and narrow. His career comes with a case of what might have been and it’s going to take a significant turnaround following Saturday night’s huge setback.