LAS VEGAS – Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy didn’t last long, but a highlight for the ages was created in a short time.
A fight that both men predicted would end violently, Tuivasa (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) defeated Hardy (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) via TKO (punches) at 1:07 of Round 1.
The heavyweight bout was part of the UFC 264 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
From the opening bell, both men showed a willingness to trade. Hardy pointed to the center of the cage in the opening seconds. As the clock ticked past the 60-second mark in the fight, Hardy cracked Tuivasa with a wobbling shot.
As Tuivasa visibly tried to regain his balance, Hardy rushed in recklessly and was met with a violent punch. Hardy folded to the canvas before Tuivasa landed a couple of follow-up shots. That was enough for the referee to step in and stop the fight.
Immediately after the fight, Tuivasa jumped atop the cage and, to no one’s surprise, drank a beer out of a shoe – a vintage shoey.
WHAT IN THE 🌎 @BamBamTuivasa #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/RXCmomvTsw
— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2021
With the win, Tuivasa keeps on rolling. He’s answered a three-fight losing skid with a three-fight winning streak. Prior to Saturday’s fight, Tuivasa had won back-to-back outings by first-round TKO against Harry Hunsucker and Stefan Struve.
As for Hardy, the loss is his second straight. In his last outing prior to Saturday’s, Hardy was defeated by Marcin Tybura. The defeat was his first non-disqualification inside-the-distance defeat of his career when Tybura finished him via second-round ground-and-pound.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 264 results include:
- Tai Tuivasa def. Greg Hardy via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:07
- Irene Aldana def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:35
- Sean O’Malley def. Kris Moutinho via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:33
- Max Griffin def. Carlos Condit via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Michel Pereira def. Niko Price via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ilia Topuria def. Ryan Hall via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:47
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Trevin Giles via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:41
- Jennifer Maia def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Brad Tavares def. Omari Akhmedov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Jerome Rivera via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:02
