Commission: Hardy’s Inhaler Was Not Pre-Approved

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Greg Hardy’s bumpy road thus far under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner got a bit bumpier last Friday night (Oct. 18, 2019) after his win over Ben Sosoli at UFC on ESPN 6 was overturned to a No Contest after he illegally used an inhaler between rounds.

This, despite the fact that video evidence shows “The Prince of War” asking a member of the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission (MSAC) permission prior to using it before round three began.

After getting the nod on the judges scorecards to earn what we thought would be his third win inside the Octagon, Greg’s smile was turned upside down minutes later after the MSAC opted to overturn his win.

According to a spokesperson for the MSAC, the reason for the ruling was based on the fact that Team Hardy never cleared it with them prior to the event.

“The inhaler was not pre-approved by the commission for use during the fight in accordance with the Commission’s regulations,” Massachusetts State Athletic Commission (MSAC) spokesperson Carolyn Assa told MMA Fighting. “Therefore, the commission overturned the win and declared the bout no contest.”

According to Hardy, though, the commission did, in fact, know about it prior.

“(I’m) super sad,” Hardy said during UFC Boston’s post-fight press conference (replay HERE). “It’s a ventolin albuterol inhaler for exercise-induced asthma. I used it my whole life. I sign the commission paperwork when I weighed in. It’s on the USADA paperwork when I take every single drug test so that y’all know that I’m not taking steroids. I’m just naturally a monster.”

UFC president Dana White, meanwhile, remained puzzled by the whole drama circling Inhalergate, but did say that Din Thomas — Greg’s coach — should have known better. Others like Jon McCarthy puts the blame on the commission member who gave Greg the green light.

“Did Greg Hardy try to cheat? No,” McCarthy said to MMA Fighting. “He’s asking in front of everyone, ‘Can I use this?’ So everything that you’re looking at, no matter what, goes down to one person. It was that inspector who allowed him to do that. That inspector did not know the rules, and that inspector created the entire situation. All he needed to say is, ‘I don’t know. Don’t do that. Let me find out.’”

Unfortunately for Hardy, the commission result stands at the moment, though his management team did reveal plans to file an appeal, according to the report.

For complete UFC Boston results and coverage click here.