Greg Hardy has weighed in 94lb heavier than boxing rival Hasim Rahman Jr after taking a short-notice fight with the 12-1 fighter.
The former UFC and NFL star was drafted in at late notice to face heavyweight prospect Rahman Jr at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas this weekend, and tipped the scales at 320lb. Rahman Jr was due to face former light-heavyweight UFC champion Vitor Belfort before the Brazilian tested positive for covid, and came in at 226lb for the bout.
Hardy towered over his heavyweight rival at today's weigh-in for their co-main event fight at Misfits Boxing's American debut, with a six-inch height difference between the pair. Their weight discrepancy was massive with Hardy, who struggled to make the UFC's 265lb limit during his MMA days, coming in 54lb heavier than his last octagon outing.
"It's 94lb, not 100lb, that's a 6lb difference right there," Hardy joked in an exclusive chat with Mirror Fighting after the weigh-in. "Sure, the power's in my favour but there's a whole list of things he's got going for him; he's faster, his clothes rack has more space because he's so much smaller! He can reach the bottom shelf, pick stuff off the ground, that's hard for me."
Weight has been a key discussion point in Rahman Jr's career, with the legend's son being forced out of his August bout against Jake Paul cancelled when he couldn't get down to 200lb. The New York Athletic Commission changed the weight to 205lb, which he was also unable to reach, and as a result his Madison Square Garden headliner was cancelled at the last minute.
Since losing out on a fight with Paul, Rahman Jr has been training with KSI at London Shoot Fighters' gym as he prepares for his ring return. He was initially set to fight Belfort in Sheffield last month, but the fight was moved to Austin for this weekend and ultimately cancelled when the Brazilian tested positive for coronavirus.
Who do you think will win; Greg Hardy or Hasim Rahman Jr? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
In October of 2020, Hardy almost became the first fighter in UFC history to miss the heavyweight limit when he came in at 266.5lb for a fight with Maurice Greene. He was able to get down to 264.5lb at the second time of asking, but would twice later come in at 266lb, which is technically allowed, but is over the ideal 265lb limit for the big fighters in MMA.
The former defensive end was believed to weigh around 280lb during his football playing days before moving into the world of MMA in 2017. And he tipped the scales at a massive 324lb for his professional boxing debut against Mike Cook last month, which he won by KO in the second round.