Greg Hardy thinks his inexperience shined through in his UFC 264 loss to Tai Tuivasa.
Hardy (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) was knocked out in just 67 seconds
at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday when, after hurting Tuivasa (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), he charged in with little sense of defense and got caught with a counter-shot that put his lights out.
The controversial former NFL standout has now lost three of his past five, including back-to-back fights by strikes. He clearly wasn’t happy with himself after the fight, but promised to return to winning form and push forward (via Instagram):
Talk n shit all 2021. It’s mevsme I have to stop making rookie mistakes. There is not F N excuse for that Ish but my real ones know you can’t kill the kraken and you for damn sure can’t kill the prince. So bring it. I’ll be back. Thank you to the @ufc and good shit by @bambamtuivasa all respect and great win.
Will Hardy’s attempt to rebound come under the UFC banner, though? It does not appear to be a guarantee.
UFC president Dana White said after UFC 264 the loss was a critical one in Hardy’s career, and where he fits into the heavyweight picture is something he’ll have to assess.
“Tonight was a big night for him – tonight was a really big night,” White told reporters at the UFC 264 post-fight news conference. “Tai Tuivasa would’ve been a real win for him, so I don’t know what this means for him tonight.”
Greg Hardy says ‘rookie mistakes’ led to UFC 264 KO loss; Dana White unsure of future