Outside Source
It’s been an active 2019 for Greg Hardy, and the controversial former NFL Pro Bowler has experienced mixed results in the Octagon.
Hardy faced the most difficult test of his career on Saturday, when he stepped up on short notice against Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night 163 in Moscow. Hardy wasn’t exactly competitive, but he wasn’t completely overwhelmed, either. Instead, the American Top Team representative lost a clear-cut three-round verdict to the Russian veteran.
Volkov spent most of the fight picking apart Hardy with straight punches and kicks to the body and legs. Ultimately, “Drago” outlanded his opponent by an 86-to-46 count in significant strikes, but Hardy did survive until the final bell.
”I’ve got to check out the film, see what I did wrong, (and) analyze it professionally,” Hardy said in a post-fight interview on ESPN. “But right now, the only thing that matters is the ‘W,’ and I didn’t leave with the ‘W,’ so that means there’s work to be done, and I didn’t do exactly what I said I was going to do. And that makes me feel very bad.”
Hardy did his best to attack with power punches, but his output was limited throughout the heavyweight fight. He admitted that he injured his hand in the early going.
”I kind of lost the use of my right hand after the first, so my mind was just, ‘Get comfortable,’” he said. “I kind of settled in front of him. I wanted to close distance a little bit more. I feel like I got back into the game plan later in the fight, but you can’t fight somebody like Alexander Volkov and start in the middle of the second round.”
Hardy is now 2-2 with one no contest in the Las Vegas-based promotion after beginning his career with a trio of quick first-round stoppages. The former Carolina Panther has high expectations for himself, and he’s willing to work until he meets those goals. The matchup with Volkov showed him where he currently stands.
”The bar where I want to get to is astronomically high,” Hardy said. “It’s so far away from me that I’m in tears on the inside.
”I have a lot to go, and I’m going to go get it. I’m going to sweat and bleed until it’s done. I will be the ‘King of War.’ But right now, I’m humbly bowing down as the ‘Prince of War’ in defeat to one of the best in the game right now.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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