This time, things didn’t go awry for Greg Hardy.
In his UFC debut on Jan. 19, the controversial former NFL All-Pro was disqualified against Allen Crowder. But this time around, the hard-hitting Hardy didn’t let things get that far.
At UFC on ESPN+ 8 on Saturday night, Hardy wasted little time dispatching an overmatched foe, earning the TKO victory over Dmitrii Smoliakov at 2:15 of the opening round of their heavyweight bout.
Smoliakov (9-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) clearly wanted little to do with Hardy’s power. He attempted a couple single-leg takedowns to little avail.
A big head kick set up a pair of uppercuts which dropped Smoliakov. From there, it was a matter of time as Hardy (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) rained down hammerfists until the bout was waved off.
“It felt amazing, man,” Hardy told a crowd which was something less than appreciative. “I didn’t get lost in it this time. I knew my purpose, I came out and executed.”
The heavyweight bout was the co-main event of the UFC on ESPN+ 8 show at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale. It streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and ESPN2.
Hardy now has all seven of his combined pro and amateur MMA victories by first-round finish.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 8 results include:
- Greg Hardy def. Dmitrii Smoliakov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:15
- Mike Perry def. Alex Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Glover Teixeira def. Ion Cutelaba via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 2, 3:37
- Cory Sandhagen def. John Lineker via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Roosevelt Roberts def. Thomas Gifford via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Takashi Sato def. Ben Saunders via TKO (punch and elbows) – Round 2, 1:18
- Augusto Sakai def. Andrei Arlovski via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Carla Esparza def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Gilbert Burns def. Mike Davis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:15
- Jim Miller def. Jason Gonzalez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:12
- Angela Hill def. Jodie Esquibel via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dhiego Lima def. Court McGee via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 8, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
