Former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a family member. He was arrested and is in jail pending a bail hearing.

Hardy, 36, has a history of legal troubles. In 2014, Hardy was arrested for assault and was found guilty before having the domestic violence charge expunged from his record. Hardy was also arrested for cocaine possession in 2016.

Hardy was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2010 and played there until 2014, before joining the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.

In 2013, Hardy was named a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. He finished his NFL career with 40 sacks.

In 2016, Hardy announced he was starting a mixed martial arts career. He competed in the UFC from 2019-2022 before being released by the organization.

He competed in professional boxing as recently as December 2024.

Conor McGregor (22-5) returns to the octagon to fight Dustin Poirier (27-6) in a highly-anticipated trilogy bout at UFC 264.

Their first meeting took place in 2014 and it resulted in McGregor defeating “The Diamond” in the first round. Earlier this January at UFC 257, it was Poirier who took the win with a second-round KO over McGregor. Now McGregor gets another opportunity to step back in the cage for a third bout against “The Diamond.”

It’s a pivotal moment in McGregor’s career because he has never lost consecutive MMA bouts. In 2016, he avenged a second-round submission defeat to Nate Diaz by defeating him five months later by majority decision. The fight also matters to the Irish fighter because a defeat will surely relegate him from the list of possible title contenders at 155 pounds.

The two will fight at UFC 264 on Saturday, July 10. The McGregor vs Poirier trilogy bout will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be in front of a full-capacity crowd featuring close to 20,000 fans. UFC 264 is the first UFC-hosted full-capacity event in Las Vegas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

The Full Fight Card will feature:

Early Prelims

Jennifer Maia (18-7-1) vs. Jessica Eye (15-9-0)

Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1) vs. Brad Tavares (18-7-0)

Zhalgas Zhumagulov (13-5-0) vs. Jerome Rivera (10-5-0)

Alen Amedovski (3-2-0) vs. Hu Yaozong (8-2-0)

Prelims

Carlos Condit (32-13-0) vs. Max Griffin (17-8-0)

Niko Price (14-4-0) vs. Michel Pereira (25-11-0)

Ryan Hall (8-1-0) vs. Ilia Topuria (10-0-0)

Dricus du Plessis (15-2-0) vs. Trevin Giles (14-2-0)

Main Event

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor

Gilbert Burns (19-4-0) vs. Stephen Thompson (16-4-1)

Tai Tuivasa (12-3-0) vs. Greg Hardy (7-3-0)

Irene Aldana (12-6-0) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (14-5-0)

Sean O’Malley (13-1-0) vs. Kris Moutinho (9-4-0)

Former NFL star Greg Hardy continues his dominance in mixed martial arts.

Greg Hardy Wins UFC Fight In 17 Seconds

Hardy, 30 — who previously played as a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers — beat Tebaris Gordon in just 17 seconds on the season finale of UFC’s Tuesday Night Contender Series on Tuesday night. This marked 6-foot-4, 278-pound Hardy’s second UFC victory by first-round knockout. The former football player also previously won three amateur MMA bouts.

According to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk, Hardy said he would open to returning to play in the NFL should either of his previous teams reach out to him.

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“If the Cowboys or the Panthers call, I’m on my way,” Hardy stated after his victory.

Hardy last played in the NFL in 2015, and his transition to mixed martial arts over the last few months has been controversial, partly because of a domestic violence allegation he faced in 2014 while playing with the Panthers that led to a 10-game suspension and 18 months probation. The charges against him were later dropped.

UFC President Dana White told mmafighting.com that he believes Hardy still needs more opportunities to fight against tougher opponents and improve in all aspects of the sport before he can be allowed to compete in the UFC full-time.

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“I told him, I said, ‘I hope you’re working on your wrestling, because I think guys are gonna start coming out and trying to take you down,’” said White. “I don’t see how much longer guys will come out and strike with him. He claims he’s working on his wrestling and his ground game all day, every day, so we’re gonna continue to build this guy, continue to get him fights and see what he does.

“It’s the level of competition. The guy is 1-0 and he just fought a guy who was 3-0.”

Former NFL star Greg Hardy may have had a rough start to his professional mixed martial arts career, but he is determined to become a UFC fighter.

Ex-Panthers DE Greg Hardy Gets UFC Deal

Hardy, a 29-year-old former defensive end for the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, got a UFC contract on Tuesday, the same day he knocked out Austen Lane — another former NFL player — in only 57 seconds in a heavyweight matchup at  Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series.

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“It’s awesome news,” Hardy told ESPN of his new deal. “I get an opportunity to show what I’ve got, go back and work hard and come back even better than before. It’s exciting. It’s everything I could ask for.”

He continued: “I just want to get back in the ring. Whatever show it is, I just want another opportunity to fight. Man, I’m having the time of my life and really enjoying it.”

Hardy left the NFL in 2015 and began his attempt at an MMA career the next year. He won his first three rookie fights by knockouts, all of which came in the first round. Hardy’s NFL career was damaged after he was charged with domestic violence and faced other conduct problems.

Another UFC star, Nick Diaz, was recently arrested for domestic violence and the company issued a statement in May about the controversy saying it “does not tolerate domestic violence and requires all athletes to adhere to the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy.”

During a press conference after UFC 225 on Saturday, White claimed Hardy has struggled with substance abuse but went on to praise the former NFL player.

“I guess he had a real bad drug and alcohol problem. Started getting into MMA, cleaned himself up,” White said of Hardy. “If you talk to anybody he trains with, male or female, they say that he’s a very good guy, he’s very humble. Everybody deserves a second chance,” the UFC president added. “And the guy was never charged with anything, he was never sentenced or anything like that. So, we’re going to give him a shot.”

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According to The Washington Post, Hardy denied assaulting his ex-girlfriend, and alleged she injured herself by jumping into a bathtub at his apartment. A judge sentenced Hardy in 2014 to 18 months’ probation for assault and for making threats to kill the woman. The incident reportedly came after a night of heavy drinking. The charges against Hardy were later dropped.

On Tuesday, the UFC also announced the signing of light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield, who like Hardy secured a first-round knockout victory on Tuesday.

Former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy has expressed interest in a career in mixed martial arts, with several promotions reportedly returning that interest.

Dana White Open To Signing Ex-NFL DE Greg Hardy To UFC Only If He Gets Experience

Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported Tuesday that Hardy has been working on the transition with training sessions over the past few months. The 28-year-old former Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys star released a statement to the outlet regarding his decision.

“I’m very focused and excited to start my MMA career,” Hardy said. “I’m going to do this the right way; I can assure you of that.”

He continued his statement on Twitter:

UFC president Dana White has said he would consider signing Hardy, although he isn’t prepared to sign the former Pro Bowler until Hardy proves he has adequate experience in competitive MMA.

“I’m one of those guys too who believes that we’re all human beings and we all make mistakes,” White said Wednesday on FS1’s Speak for Yourself. “And when you make a mistake, you pay your penance, whatever it might be, and you should be allowed to make a living and move on in your life. Is he good enough to come into the UFC and fight? I highly doubt it.

“I’ve been playing football for a couple weeks too, maybe I’ll try out for the (New England) Patriots?” White continued, laughing. “It takes a little bit longer than that, but he could fight at one of these small shows. We’ll see how he looks, and I don’t know.”

Hardy failed to land with an NFL team as a free agent this past offseason, after a highly-controversial one-year stint with the Cowboys in 2015.

The Tennessee native was found guilty on two counts of domestic violence– assaulting a female and communicating threats– in 2014 following an alleged incident involving his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, per Jim Bradley of WSOC-TV. Hardy was subsequently sentenced to 18 months probation as well as a suspended 60-day stay in jail. Those charges were dismissed on appeal, since Holder failed to appear in court for the trial.

The NFL suspended the defensive end for 10 games for “conduct detrimental to the league,” following a two-month investigation into the situation in 2015. Arbitrator Harold Henderson later reduced the ban to four games.

In September, TMZ Sports reported that Hardy was arrested for cocaine possession after police found the substance in a wallet in his vehicle. He told police somebody else placed the drug there while he was at a party the night before.

After Hardy’s MMA announcement, Fox Sports NFL and UFC reporter Jay Glazer called for fight promoters and coaches to blackball Hardy from their gyms, stating the player did not deserve the “privilege” of competing in the sport due to his past troubles and the general lack of regret shown for them.

On Wednesday, however, White disagreed with this sentiment, saying Hardy deserved a second chance as much as anyone else.

“I’m not saying he should be welcomed here, but I’m saying I’m a guy who believes that if you make a mistake, your life isn’t over, go kill yourself or something,” White said. “You made a mistake, you pay for it. When you make mistakes, it’s all about how you act from there on out. How do you handle yourself after that and what do you do to fix it.”

ORCHARD PARK, NY – DECEMBER 27: Greg Hardy #76 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on December 27, 2015 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter sat down for an exclusive interview with Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy regarding his involvement in an incident from 2014 in which his former girlfriend, Nicole Holder, claims Hardy brutally assaulted her, throwing her against a bathroom wall and choking her on a bed filled with weapons, all in his apartment. Late last year, pictures showing a severely bruised and battered Holder surfaced on the website Deadspin.

In the interview, which aired Tuesday, Hardy denied ever having laid hands on her or on any other woman.

The interview has unsurprisingly caused much uproar and controversy among many people who believe Hardy is guilty of this assault, and the cries and censures only became louder after Schefter called Hardy “a changed kind of guy” on The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday.

What few people expected was for one of ESPN’s own well-known employees to condemn the interview. ESPN’s SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle spoke out on Tuesday about her thoughts on the interview:

“I feel dirty in that this guy has no job right now, and for some reason we’ve decided as a network that we’re going to give him the stage for his redemption tour as he basically goes out and tries to find some employment,” Beadle stated. “I don’t understand why we’re doing that. If he wants to figure out a way to get his message out there — which by the way, he hasn’t said he did anything wrong, so how a man is supposed to convince anybody he’s changed and yet not admit to actually doing anything? I have no idea. But why we’re giving him the forum to go out there and tell anybody that is where I’m a little bit confused.”

Beadle’s sound and logical take on Hardy’s case and interview is certainly laudable. Her argument that ESPN shouldn’t be used as a platform that relays a message of change and contrition by upholding a player who claims he’s innocent and appears to show no remorse seems more than reasonable.

Beadle also sent out a Tweet to add to her comments:

Greg Hardy’s contract with the Dallas Cowboys expired just last month. No team has signed the controversial free agent defensive end since then, which is why Hardy had time to sit down with ESPN’s Adam Schefter for an interview on Monday.

Greg Hardy Denies Hitting Ex-Girlfriend In ESPN Interview

During the interview, Hardy denied every having hit a woman, in response to Schefter’s question regarding a 2014 domestic violence incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, involving him and his former girlfriend, Nicole Holder. At the time of the incident, Hardy was a member of the Carolina Panthers.

“I’ve never put my hand on any women … in my whole entire life, no sir,” Hardy said Monday in Oxford, Miss., where he played collegiately for the University of Mississippi. “That’s just not how we’re raised. As you can tell, like I said again, it’s the Bible belt. It’s just something that’s, I wouldn’t even say frowned upon, just something that’s nonexistent in most southern homes.”

Schefter then followed up by asking Hardy about the pictures of Holder, in which she is shown severely bruised and battered, that surfaced on the website Deadspin last November in connection with the alleged assault.

Holder accused Hardy, 27, of throwing her against a bathroom wall, and then pushing her onto a bed covered with assault rifles and subsequently choking her and threatening to kill her during an altercation at his apartment.

“I will stop you there and say that I didn’t say that I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “That situation occurred and that situation was handled but … saying that I did nothing wrong is a stretch but saying I am innocent is correct. Yes sir.”

Hardy was convicted on charges of domestic violence, specifically assaulting a female and communicating threats, in 2014 in a bench trial by judge. He appealed, seeking a jury trial, but the case was thrown out in February 2015 when Holder stopped cooperating with authorities. Hardy filed a petition last year in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, to have his domestic violence charges expunged from his record.

After a portion of the interview aired on ESPN, Hardy was called out by former Panthers teammate Steve Smith Sr. on Twitter. The wide receiver, who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens, tweeted an excerpt of Hardy’s interview and called himself an advocate against domestic violence, adding that his mother is a survivor.

A six-year NFL veteran, Hardy has compiled 40 career sacks in 75 games and was tagged by the Panthers as their franchise player after the 2013 season, when he posted a career-best 15 sacks.

Hardy was suspended four games last season and missed all but one in 2014 with the Panthers.

After a two-month investigation, Greg Hardy has been suspended for ten games by the NFL.

The suspension stems from a domestic assault case, where Hardy was originally found guilty. But during the appeal, the charges were thrown out of court after the victim, former girlfriend Nicole Holder, refused to cooperate with the district attorney.

Meanwhile, Hardy was officially reinstated by the league, however, he had the looming threat of a suspension over his head. And today, the NFL handed down their sentence with a long reason describing why it was so harsh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzFpl93AgPE

“Hardy was informed that an extensive two-month NFL investigation following the dismissal of his case in North Carolina state court determined that there was sufficient credible evidence that Hardy engaged in conduct that violated NFL policies,” according to Commissioner Goodell’s statement.

“The net effect of these acts was that Ms. Holder was severely traumatized and sustained a range of injuries, including bruises and scratches on her neck, shoulders, upper chest, back, arms and feet,” Commissioner Goodell continued. “The use of physical force under the circumstances present here, against a woman substantially smaller than you and in the presence of powerful, military-style assault weapons, constitutes a significant act of violence in violation of the Personal Conduct Policy.”

The NFLPA is likely to appeal the suspension, according to a source from ESPN’s Jane McManus.

Greg Hardy recently signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys worth about $750,000. But with game-to-game incentives, he could make $13.1 million.

Update: Greg Hardy signs a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, according to Pro Football Talk. The deal has a base salary of $750,000, but with incentives he could make $13.1 million.

Defensive end Greg Hardy is expected to choose today between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Adam Schefter.

Hardy was out for majority of the 2014 season after being arrested in May 2014 for allegedly assaulting and threatening ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder. He was later found guilty of the crime by a Mecklenburg County judge, but the charges became pending when Hardy asked for a jury trial, according to ESPN. And in 2015, the charges were dropped when Holder could not be located by the district attorney.

Still, Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list — he was placed there after week 2 of the regular season — as the league office investigates the crime further. Though the charges were dropped, if the NFL finds sufficient evidence, he can be suspended for a few games in the 2015 season.

The defensive end out of Ole Miss saw his best output in the 2012 and 2013 seasons: 26 sacks and 120 tackles over 31 games. Carolina placed the franchise tag on him prior to the problems of 2014, but he became an unrestricted free agent in 2015, choosing to depart from the Panthers after five seasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXnksldsQJU

Again, stay tuned for updates because Hardy’s decision could be announced soon.

North Carolina prosecutors announced Monday that domestic violence charges have been dropped against Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. The decision was due to his accuser not making herself available to help out with the case.

Hardy was found guilty of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder last summer by a Mecklenburg County District Court judge. Hardy then requested a jury trial to appeal the verdict. His guilty verdict was put to the side as a result of appealing the ruling, which is the case with North Carolina state law.

Hardy only played one game in 2014, as he was put on the inactive roster in Week 2 after the NFL faced a firestorm with domestic violence issues when the video of Ray Rice beating his fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator was released to the public. He was then placed on the commissioner’s exempt list until his case was resolved.

Hardy did not comment this morning upon leaving the courthouse.