Former NFL defensive star Greg Hardy suffered another setback in his mixed martial arts career Saturday night, as a devastating knockout loss added to a growing list of defeats inside the cage.
According to Fox News, Hardy stepped into the ring against Darko Stosic at Fight Nation Championship 31 in a scheduled heavyweight matchup.
Despite entering the contest with a significant size advantage, the former football player was unable to capitalize on it when the fight reached the final round.
According to reports, Hardy missed the heavyweight limit by a staggering 25 pounds. Even so, he reportedly outweighed Stosic by 52 pounds on fight night.
The difference in size ultimately proved meaningless.
After two rounds of action, Stosic delivered the decisive moment early in the third.
The Serbian fighter unleashed a crushing left hook that caught Hardy cleanly and sent him stumbling backward.
Moments later, Stosic followed up with a powerful looping punch that Hardy never appeared to see coming.
The blow dropped Hardy to the canvas.
With Hardy down, Stosic landed a heavy hammer fist to the jaw before the referee quickly stepped in and stopped the contest.
Stosic was awarded the knockout victory.
The defeat continued a troubling trend for Hardy, who has struggled to find consistency since transitioning from professional football to mixed martial arts.
Saturday’s loss marked Hardy’s fourth defeat in his last five MMA bouts.
All four of those losses have come by knockout or technical knockout.
Hardy previously suffered first-round defeats during the final stretch of his UFC run. He was stopped by Tai Tuivasa on July 10, 2021, before falling to Serghei Spivac on March 5, 2022.
The former Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers defensive end had briefly returned to the win column earlier this year.
In January, Hardy competed at Peak Fighting 50 and earned a unanimous decision victory over Philip Latu.
However, he was unable to build on that momentum against Stosic.
For Stosic, the victory further strengthened his résumé. The Serbian improved his professional record to 23-8 and collected the 17th knockout victory of his career.
The win also extended a successful recent stretch. Stosic has now won six of his last eight fights and is riding a two-fight winning streak.
His previous victory came against Oli Thompson at Fight Nation Championship 27.
While Stosic continues to climb, Hardy once again finds himself searching for answers after another brutal finish inside the cage.
