Getty Greg Hardy
Former UFC and NFL star Greg Hardy will box Hasim Rahman Jr. — a heavyweight boxer who was scheduled to fight Jake Paul earlier this year — on November 19.
Rahman, who boasts a professional boxing record of 12-1 with six knockouts, was originally scheduled to box former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort for Saturday’s Misfits Boxing event. However, MMA Fighting reported on Monday that Belfort had pulled out of the match.
DAZN — the platform charged with streaming the event — then revealed that Belfort tested positive for COVID-19, which derailed the night’s main event. Instead, social media influencers Deen the Great versus Walid Sharks will headline the MF & DAZN: X Series 003 card.
Further, the boxing promotion announced on Tuesday that Hardy would step in and battle Rahman Jr. The event will stream live on DAZN and it takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
At the time of this writing, it’s unclear how many rounds the heavyweight tilt will be.
Saturday will mark Hardy’s second boxing match since parting ways with the UFC earlier this year. He took on Mike Cook in October for Black Sheep Boxing, and he knocked out the fighter in the second round.
Rahman Jr. was set to fight Jake Paul at a Madison Square Garden event this past summer. But, according to Paul, Rahman Jr. failed to live up to the fight contract’s weight demands, and the match was ultimately scrapped.
Hardy Was Forced to ‘Reevaluate’ After His Final Loss Inside the UFC’s Octagon
Hardy has a professional mixed martial arts record of 7-5 with one no-contest, which includes six wins via KO/TKO. All in all, the “Prince of War” fought 10 times as a UFC combatant, going 4-5 with one no-contest between 2019 and 2022.
The former NFL defensive end’s tenure with the promotion came to a close after he suffered his third straight loss. Hardy drew Sergey Spivak at UFC 272 in March and was taken out in less than a round via TKO.
The Prince of War took to Instagram after the match to say he needed to “reevaluate.”
“I’m ok first of all for those who wana know,” Hardy wrote. “No excuses, gotta get better. I don’t know what to do but say sorry. More coming for the prince of War just gotta get my shit together. Thank you to the @ufc and @danawhite for being in my corner. Thank you coaches and training partners and agents @firstroundmgmt . Everyone did their job accept for me. This one is on me and there are no excuses for me lacking. I refuse to die but I have to reevaluate for sure.”
Hardy Was Out of the UFC a Week Later, Turned His Attention to Boxing
A week later and Hardy announced he was no longer on the UFC roster. “What a run, ya boy is far from done just got some fine tuning to do,” Hardy wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all my fans and haters. I appreciate you all. Mostly i appreciate my coaches, family, and the @ufc for giving me the opportunity to shine bright.”
And in June, a few months before his boxing debut, Hardy shared a photo of himself wearing boxing gloves — hinting at the new direction he’d be taking as a combat sports athlete.