Greg Hardy will replace Junior Dos Santos in fight against Alexander Volkov
Greg Hardy will get a shot at one of UFC’s best fighters, and Hardy’s not going to have a lot of time to prepare for that fight. Hardy has agreed to replace Junior Dos Santos and will take on Alexander Volkov on Nov. 9, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Dos Santos was slated to take on Volkov, but had to pull out of the bout due to severe cellulitis. Dos Santos has been in the hospital since Oct. 14 due to the infection.
With UFC scrambling to find a replacement, the 31-year-old Hardy agreed to take on the challenge. The news comes as a surprise considering Hardy last fought Friday, and will have only 18 days to prep for Volkov. On top of that, Volkov — who has 37 mixed martial arts fights under his belt —is a major step up for Hardy, who has fought professionally just seven times.
While the short turnaround may put Hardy at a disadvantage, he seems fine with that. Hardy’s agent, Malki Kawa, said it was Hardy’s idea to take the fight against Volkov. That’s been par for the course for Hardy, who has been extremely active since becoming a professional fighter.
Also, when he fights on 11/9, Greg Hardy will be the first heavyweight in the history of the UFC to fight 5 times in a calendar year, per @ESPNStatsInfo. Nine others have fought four times.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 22, 2019
Hardy’s presence in UFC is not without controversy. During his NFL career, Hardy was arrested for assault and communicating threats after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend. The NFL suspended Hardy for 10 games, but later reduced that suspension to four games. Hardy played 12 games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 and went unsigned in the offseason. He was also arrested for cocaine possession in 2016.
Despite that, Hardy signed with UFC in 2018. His last fight was ruled a no contest after it was determined Hardy used an inhaler between rounds.
———
Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
More from Yahoo Sports:
