Video: NFL vet Greg Hardy TKOs Dmitrii Smoliakov in round 1, gets first UFC win

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

The UFC Fort Lauderdale co-main event just witnessed former NFL player Greg Hardy win his first official UFC match. He did so with a two-minute and fifteen-second TKO of the much more experienced Dmitrii Smoliakov.

Hardy took the center of the Octagon and patiently pressed forward. Smoliakov botched a few telegraphed takedown attempts before Hardy knocked him down with a set of uppercuts. Hardy unleashed a ton of ground strikes, prompting the referee to step in and call off the match. Smoliakov legit had zero moments in this fight.

After dropping his official UFC debut this past January by getting himself disqualified for an illegal knee to a downed Allen Crowder, Hardy is now 1-1 within the promotion. Who knows what will be next for the polarizing Hardy, but like him or hate him, he’s exciting to watch.

Greg Hardy def. Dmitrii Smoliakov by TKO at 2:15 of round 1: Heavyweight

1️⃣& done for @GregHardyJr!!#UFCFtLauderdale on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/E8gesBMrER

— UFC (@ufc) April 28, 2019

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About the author

Eddie Mercado

Eddie Mercado is a writer and content creator for Bloody Elbow, and has covered combat sports since 2015. Eddie covers everything from betting odds and live events, to fighter interviews and co-hosting the 6th Round post-fight show and the 6th Round Retro. He retired at 1-0 in professional MMA, competed in one Muay Thai match in Thailand, and is currently a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu under the great Diego Bispo.