Report: Former NFL Star Greg Hardy to Pursue MMA Career

Troubled former Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy is looking to transition from the National Football League to mixed martial arts.

"I'm very focused and excited to start my MMA career," Hardy told MMAFighting.com. "I'm going to do this the right way, I can assure you of that.”

Hardy has been training for several months in the Dallas Fort-Worth area, according to the report. Several promotions have expressed an interest in signing him despite him not having a background in MMA.

Hardy, 28, was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He earned second-team All Pro honors in 2013 after finishing with 15 sacks. However, in July 2014 Hardy was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and missed the majority of the season after being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation, but charges from the case were later dropped, and Hardy’s record was expunged.

Hardy was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2015 season as well, but that was later reduced to four games by an arbitrator, and Hardy finished the campaign with the Dallas Cowboys, although he remained a controversial figure throughout the season. Hardy went unsigned as a free agent this past NFL offseason.

The star pass rusher’s troubles continued recently, as Hardy was arrested on Sept. 26 in Texas on a cocaine possession charge. He was released on $5,000 bond the next day.