Greg Hardy is back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The former UFC heavyweight and ex-NFL player is scheduled to compete this weekend at Fight Nation Championship 31 in Belgrade, Serbia. However, Hardy’s return to the cage was overshadowed by a massive weight miss that left fans and media stunned ahead of fight night.
Hardy misses heavyweight limit by a huge margin
Hardy stepped on the scale at 132 kilograms, approximately 291 pounds, during Friday’s official weigh-ins. That number put him roughly 25 pounds above the agreed heavyweight limit for his bout against former UFC fighter Darko Stosic.
Despite the significant miss, reports from Serbia indicate that Stosic has agreed to move forward with the fight. The matchup remains scheduled to take place on Saturday night.
Weight misses are not uncommon in combat sports, but coming in more than two dozen pounds overweight is rare even in the heavyweight division.
Another setback in Hardy’s combat sports journey
The latest controversy adds to an already turbulent combat sports career for Hardy. After his NFL career came to an end, the former Pro Bowl defensive lineman transitioned into mixed martial arts and signed with the UFC in 2019. His run inside the Octagon produced mixed results, as he compiled a 4-5 record.
One of the strangest moments of his UFC tenure came when a unanimous decision victory was overturned and ruled a no contest after Hardy used an inhaler between rounds. This happened in 2019 versus Ben Sosoli.
Since leaving the UFC in 2022, Hardy has competed in both professional boxing and bare-knuckle boxing. Results have been inconsistent, but he returned to MMA earlier this year and picked up a victory over Phillip Latu in January.
Is It Time for a Super Heavyweight Division?
While fighters missing weight is always an issue in MMA, Greg Hardy’s weigh-in disaster raises questions about MMA’s 265-pound heavyweight limit.
Critics, including Joe Rogan and Chael Sonnen, have long argued that forcing naturally massive fighters to squeeze down to 265 pounds creates unnecessary health risks and leaves too much room for size disparities inside the cage.
While Dana White has historically resisted the idea, organizations such as Pride FC and King of the Cage have successfully promoted super heavyweight bouts in the past.
As far as I am concerned, once one reaches about 230 pounds and above, the added weight is not always an advantage. We should let the fat men fight!