No. 76 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Millington, Tennessee, U.S. | July 28, 1988||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 280 lb (127 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Briarcrest (Eads, Tennessee) | ||||||||||
College: | Ole Miss | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2010 / round: 6 / pick: 175 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Gregory McKarl Hardy[1] (born July 28, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and former football defensive end. He played football for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Carolina Panthers.
Hardy played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was selected by the Panthers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. His most successful season was in 2013 when he set the Panthers single-season record for sacks, earning him Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. During the following off-season, however, Hardy was found guilty of assaulting a former girlfriend.[2] Although the case was dismissed after the victim failed to appear in court, the ensuing controversy led to him not being re-signed by the Panthers after playing one game with them in 2014. Hardy spent his final NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys.
After the conclusion of his football career, Hardy became a mixed martial artist. He was signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2019 to 2022, where he competed in the heavyweight division.