Greg Hardy has been an extremely controversial character since joining the UFC’s roster. Largely due to his history of domestic abuse – and now competing in cage fighting. Hardy has been subject to a ton of criticism since beginning his UFC career. His disqualification loss in his Octagon debut earlier this year didn’t help matters.
However, over the weekend, Hardy picked up the first victory of his UFC career by finishing Dmitry Smolyakov in the first round. Recently, Hardy’s boxing coach, Billy Padden, spoke to Bloody Elbow about the former NFL star. In regards to his history of domestic abuse, Padden thinks Hardy is getting a rough deal.
Padden says, had Hardy acted with malice, the alleged victim would be dead. He also doesn’t think Hardy deserves to be called names such as “woman beater” while walking to the cage:
“I watch Greg Hardy hit grown men and make them limp as a noodle in seconds,” Padden said.
“If he had any malice the night of this alleged incident, the woman would be dead. Every time I’m walking him to the ring, I hear, ‘You woman beater,’ I hear nasty things said to him. I don’t think he deserves it. The Greg Hardy I know is one of the best living guys I’ve met down here.”
What do you make of Hardy’s coach’s comments on his domestic violence history?
