Dana White Responds to Criticism About Booking Greg Hardy on Brooklyn Card

Dana White discusses the decision to have Greg Hardy compete on January 19th, the same card as Rachael Ostovich, a recent victim of domestic violence.

White has spoken to Rachael since Hardy was added to hear her feelings on it. Hardy will remain on the card despite the backlash pic.twitter.com/6EHMIXS9lm

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 6, 2018

UFC 231 is now available on Amazon Prime.

Addressing the controversy regarding the booking of Greg Hardy on the same card as recent alleged domestic violence victim Rachael Ostovich, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White defended the decision while responding to criticism.

While in Toronto for UFC 231, White talked with Aaron Bronsteter of TSN about the booking, saying he would not be removing Hardy from the event. Both fighters are currently booked at UFC on ESPN+ 1 on January 19 in Brooklyn, New York, with Ostovich facing Paige VanZant and Hardy making his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Allen Crowder.

Hardy’s history of domestic violence has put him under a great deal of scrutiny since his appearance on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Meanwhile, with Ostovich, a recent victim of an alleged domestic violence incident that almost forced her off the card, fans have wondered how the UFC could ever book Ostovich and Hardy on the same event.

White made it a point to note that he contacted Ostovich directly, and claimed she did not object to Hardy’s placement on the card. According to the UFC president, Ostovich’s view of the situation was, “his story is not my story,” and that she said she believed in second chances.

What Hardy did will follow him for the rest of his life and his career, added White, and believes that Hardy has spent the last five years rehabilitating himself while trying to put the issues from his past behind him. White added that Hardy did nothing to Ostovich, so there should be no issue at having both fighters booked on the same card.

When asked about the two doing media together when it comes time to promote the event in Brooklyn, White stated, “If you want to make it an issue, you can make it an issue,” and added, “Rachael Ostovich doesn’t have an issue and that’s all that matters to me.”

UFC on ESPN+ 1 will take place on Jan. 19 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will be headlined by a flyweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw.

Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu Karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since the first UFC. You can follow Edward on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.

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A message that I received from @rachaelostovich regarding Dana White's comments from earlier today on her and former NFL player Greg Hardy competing on the same card next month. pic.twitter.com/3THZ50gEpR

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) December 6, 2018