Greg Hardy is Already a Legend

[Haulport]

It's like they scouted to get the entire package of questionable/controversial or good-but-limited features spread out amongst all professional fighters in one fighter.

Excellent raw athlete but no combat sports background
Excellent power
No ground game or standup finesse
Unknown cardio (assumed bad until proven otherwise)
Spousal abuse (worst kind of personal drama)
Already a DQ on 4-1 record
Already talking about GOAT
Already talking about boxing options
Already looking past next opponent

Did I forget anything? On the plus side, it does appear he is very serious about the sport (living in the gym and whatnot). I just wouldn't even joke about GOAT or boxing or any of that, at the stage of development he's at. Talk about setting yourself up for a jinx...

There's no Rubik's cube to solve here of course...The UFC created a Frankenstein monster in Conor and Conor created his own Frankenmonster with the boxing move, using UFC to push his own product, and all this "I want a stake in the UFC as payment for fighting" negotiating style.

Not that I resent Conor for that---he's doing whatever he can get away with, just as the UFC does to fighters. But now everybody thinks they're Conor. They forget he beat a bunch of high level fighters, some on very short notice, to get himself in position to do what he did.

Always a pleasure sir...

 

[WoodenPupa]

Always a pleasure sir...

Likewise! From here on I shall be regularly bugalooing, electrically, in this joint. Cheerio! Corn flakes as well.

 

[WoodenPupa]

Bold/underlined made me laugh. Because it's so often true, that is.

I'm trying my damndest to think of a legit HW who has 5 rounds of strong cardio (by "legit", I always mean someone unable to make the nearest lower weight class, at least without being massively drained or comically weak. So for HWs, that means unable to make 205 without chopping limbs).

It's a short list---

Cain
JDS
Minotauro

I'm missing people for sure, and maybe the "legit" tag is too constraining for the HW's. Without that limitation, guys like Fedor can make the list, and the list gets pretty big from there.

But anyway. It's well-known that naturally big people have problems getting oxygen to all that mass (I guess artificially muscular people would have the same problem). Now, I'm not sure where EPO testing stands these days, if they're testing and catching people or what, but if a fighter can safely do EPO, then that would obviously help cardio a ton, regardless of how big. There are other substances too, but I'm sure they're tested for. GW 50516 and SR 9009 being two off the bat. 9009 is very short acting but potent in high doses (the literature says it only barely absorbs when ingested by pill or liquid, but it doesn't matter, because it flat out WORKS and gives massive short-term increase in cardio. Short term as in, I'd say up to a couple of hours after ingestion).

It seems even with PED's, combat endurance royalty runs at 170 or below. Whatever the case, suffice to say Greg Hardy ain't wearing a cardio kang crown.

 

[BenAskrensStrikingcoach]

I know you are taking the piss here but I ain't buying this guy either, he is going to get manhandled as soon as he faces a guy with any kind of grappling skills, and will get lit up if he faces any decent strikers.

There seems to be a fairly short path for him in my opinion, I could be wrong I suppose.

Crowder was starting to turn that fight around before the illegal shot.

See how he gets on with Adams.

 

[WoodenPupa]

He's already looking past Adams. In a recent interview (either with Dan Hardy, or that ESPN guy), he said Adams isn't his toughest challenge yet.

Oh well---this subject is the low hanging fruit, I guess. All the same, it's amazing this sort of talent is still recruited. He does have big arms, though. And what do we grapple with? Our arms and legs. Big arms = that's half the battle right there.

 

[WoodenPupa]

Big arms + a win over Juan...Juan something. Big Juan, let's call him...Hardy's spot in the HOF should be guaranteed. They're probably going to need to rename it to the Hardy Hall of Fame, or the Hall of Greg, something along those lines.

That's all gravy though. What matters is that Hardy is already in the combat sports GOAT conversation. What concerns me as a fan is the onset of boredom. Hopefully he's looking ahead at a dual role as fighter/commentator like DC or Chael when he was competing. So right now I'd probably rank him 3rd below DC and Chael, but above guys like Dominic Cruz.

 

[tang]

feed him to Black Beast, Super Samoan, Curtis Blaydes, or Werdum

 

[WoodenPupa]

feed him to Black Beast, Super Samoan, Curtis Blaydes, or Werdum

Black Beast PLEASE. Man, that would not be pretty. That whole list works though.

 

[Atto]

I say 1 more win then feed him to mark hunt

Too early to feed him to Mark . He needs at-least 3 fights before he is ready to fight Mark.

 

[Onetrickpony]

feed him to Black Beast, Super Samoan, Curtis Blaydes, or Werdum

Travis Browns still has one contracted fight left in the UFC.

I think that hardy vs browne with the winner fighting black beast, would be the way to go.

 

[BenAskrensStrikingcoach]

I think hes ready for Tai now, or Ivanov, both would batter him.

 

[WEWEREONABREAK]

I'm trying my damndest to think of a legit HW who has 5 rounds of strong cardio (by "legit", I always mean someone unable to make the nearest lower weight class, at least without being massively drained or comically weak. So for HWs, that means unable to make 205 without chopping limbs).

It's a short list---

Cain
JDS
Minotauro

I'm missing people for sure, and maybe the "legit" tag is too constraining for the HW's. Without that limitation, guys like Fedor can make the list, and the list gets pretty big from there.

But anyway. It's well-known that naturally big people have problems getting oxygen to all that mass (I guess artificially muscular people would have the same problem). Now, I'm not sure where EPO testing stands these days, if they're testing and catching people or what, but if a fighter can safely do EPO, then that would obviously help cardio a ton, regardless of how big. There are other substances too, but I'm sure they're tested for. GW 50516 and SR 9009 being two off the bat. 9009 is very short acting but potent in high doses (the literature says it only barely absorbs when ingested by pill or liquid, but it doesn't matter, because it flat out WORKS and gives massive short-term increase in cardio. Short term as in, I'd say up to a couple of hours after ingestion).

It seems even with PED's, combat endurance royalty runs at 170 or below. Whatever the case, suffice to say Greg Hardy ain't wearing a cardio kang crown.

I would consider adding

Overeem
Miocic
Werdum

to that list.

 

[jason73]

 

[Rambo John J]

IMO

the guy has power to beat all HWs

could also be TKOed/KOed by them

The guy is fucking huge and very athletic...plus crazy

The above combo is basically the blueprint for a raw MMA fighter...we all know this

If he is truly hungry for technique then he will be a juggernaut at HW for awhile

 

[WoodenPupa]

IMO

the guy has power to beat all HWs

could also be TKOed/KOed by them

The guy is fucking huge and very athletic...plus crazy

The above combo is basically the blueprint for a raw MMA fighter...we all know this

If he is truly hungry for technique then he will be a juggernaut at HW for awhile

Well, it's hard to deny this. It's hard to roll a 7 more than a couple times in a row though. The long streaks even at HW require skill. That's why Stipe and only a few others have had---at a high level, anyway--- win streaks above 4 in HW history. Fedor's the king, DC is right up there. Alex Emelianenko, Overeem, Vovchanchyn. Of course all those guys had cans in their streaks too. But most people agree HW is the one division where even the cans will fuck you up if you take them lightly.

If he stays course and consistently handles people standing, then of course the first guy to legitimately put him on his back will bring the truth to light. What can this guy do off his back? In the early going, I'm sure he can escape mounts and half mounts and so on with some spaz bucking and scrambling. But what about when cardio is leveled and technique is all that matters? If he can survive GnP and fend off sub attempts, then hell, he might go all the way.

Obviously it's way too soon to say with real confidence, but as with anything, until positive proof is shown, skepticism rules, and the answer to any of these questions about difficult scenarios is by default, "No."

"Can he escape a body lock while face down on the mat and taking shots to..."
"No."

 

[Rambo John J]

Well, it's hard to deny this. It's hard to roll a 7 more than a couple times in a row though. The long streaks even at HW require skill. That's why Stipe and only a few others have had---at a high level, anyway--- win streaks above 4 in HW history. Fedor's the king, DC is right up there. Alex Emelianenko, Overeem, Vovchanchyn. Of course all those guys had cans in their streaks too. But most people agree HW is the one division where even the cans will fuck you up if you take them lightly.

If he stays course and consistently handles people standing, then of course the first guy to legitimately put him on his back will bring the truth to light. What can this guy do off his back? In the early going, I'm sure he can escape mounts and half mounts and so on with some spaz bucking and scrambling. But what about when cardio is leveled and technique is all that matters? If he can survive GnP and fend off sub attempts, then hell, he might go all the way.

Obviously it's way too soon to say with real confidence, but as with anything, until positive proof is shown, skepticism rules, and the answer to any of these questions about difficult scenarios is by default, "No."

"Can he escape a body lock while face down on the mat and taking shots to..."
"No."

Yes he will fail in many positions
I agree with your post fully

Rare is the well rounded HW

 

[WoodenPupa]

Yes he will fail in many positions
I agree with your post fully

Rare is the well rounded HW

HW's with awesome records don't get enough respect IMO. I know we're supposed to say Jon Jones, but Fedor is still not only my favorite fighter ever, but I think the most skilled fighter ever, if we take into account the kind of carnage an innocent little mistake at HW can lead to.