Former NFL standout Greg Hardy had expressed a desire to make inroads into mixed martial arts after his arrest and subsequent lack of finding a team to re-sign him. While questions were raised as to where he would actually train, TMZ Sports reports he has now officially found a home in Coconut Creek, FL at American Top Team.
According to the source, Hardy’s not taking the easy path and has been under the tutelage of head coach and former WEC champion Mike Brown. Hardy has been living at the new facility dorms, and has been putting in a lot of training time as per Brown:
“He seems to have the drive and desire,” Brown says … noting that Hardy has been taking classes in multiple disciplines to hone his skills.
“He took boxing last night, jiu-jitsu today. He was training with Steve Mocco, our wrestling coach, who was in the Olympics.”
Hardy has even posted images to his Instagram page with training partners and team members while he plans to build slow and steady in hopes of possibly entering the regional scene within the next year.
What is perhaps the most controversial MMA entry story in recent history, Hardy’s announcement to enter MMA was a puzzling one considering he didn’t have a main gym to train at. Granted, a figure like Hardy is bound to generate a lot of opinions and disagreements within the combat sports community, as Jay Glazer has recently been very vocal of his disapproval of Hardy’s entry into the sport and cautioned major gyms from accepting and training him. Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White has remained mostly forgiving of his past transgressions and taking more of a wait-and-see approach regarding the matter, calling his past actions “mistakes“.
Hardy is still only 28 years old and could very well still be in peak physical form. Being a lifelong athlete with an NFL-level of athleticism is something that any MMA organization would take interest in when it comes to a new fighter, but his troubling history of domestic violence and erratic behavior is what got him dropped from the NFL to begin with. At 6’8 and approximately 280lbs, he’d certainly make an impact in the heavyweight MMA scene, but whether or not he’s able to avoid engaging in past behaviors is yet to be seen.
Hardy still has some legal hurdles to overcome as well, as he was arrested in September of this year and was indicted on Monday on one felony count for cocaine possession.
Mightiest Daddy 
Leave a comment