Hardy Returns Against De Castro At UFC Columbus

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL star Greg Hardy will make his return to the Octagon against fellow heavyweight power puncher Yorgan De Castro at UFC on ESPN+ 30 on Mar. 28 live on ESPN+ from inside Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, per an official UFC announcement.

Hardy, 31, just suffered the first true loss of his professional MMA career after dropping a unanimous decision to heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov at UFC on ESPN+ 21 this past November in Russia. Hardy was filling in on short notice for the injured Junior dos Santos but was clearly outmatched on the feet by the bigger “Drago.”

Despite the loss, Hardy still remains one of the more interesting names in the UFC’s growing heavyweight division heading into next year. He showed a ton of potential in his loss to Volkov and previous two knockout wins inside of the Octagon, so a win over De Castro should help Hardy right the ship moving forward.

De Castro, 33, is coming off a scintillating debut win back at UFC 243 in which he ended hometown favorite Justin Tafa via first-round knockout. The Cape Verde product extended his undefeated professional MMA record to 6-0 with that win and could be in store for some big opportunities in 2020 if he’s able to take out Hardy this March.

UFC Columbus will be headlined by a premier heavyweight matchup pitting former title challenger Francis Ngannou against surging contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The main card will also feature a bantamweight clash between former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt and perennial contender Raphael Assuncao.

Stick with Mania for more UFC Columbus fight card news.