Watch: Greg Hardy Wins First UFC Fight With Mega KO Punch

Ex-NFL Pro Bowler Greg Hardy just notched another MMA victory. His win was so decisive, that UFC President, Dana White awarded him a brand new contract.

On Tuesday, Hardy fought fellow NFL alum Austen Lane during “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender” series. The contest only lasted 57 seconds after Hardy buried Lane with pair of debilitating blows.

Hardy entered the cage 3-0 while Lane was also undefeated at 2-0. White says that Hardy still needs time to develop before he can enter UFC’s heavyweight division. Regardless, Hardy is pumped for his new journey.

“It’s awesome news,” Hardy said. “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.

In 2014, Hardy was deactivated by the Caroline Panthers after he was convicted of domestic violence. Hardy won an appeal which saw the conviction overturned. Hardy then signed with the Dallas Cowboys, but was suspended for violating the NFL‘s Personal Conduct Policy. By the end of the 2015 season Hardy was out of the league.

Hardy was arrested in 2016 on felony cocaine possession, but did not serve any time in jail for the offense.

Later that year, Hardy began his MMA career. White has been on record saying Hardy deserves a second chance and now that Hardy has an officialy UFC contract the opportunity to redeem himself has manifested.

“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.”

“I’m ready for the big show,” he said. “I train with the best gym in the world, and I have full confidence and faith that those guys are there to get me ready for whatever comes next.”

Hardy is well aware of his poor choices and the stigmas he’ll have to abttle as he continues to rise up the MMA ranks.

“If I was a genie, or if I was fortune teller, I’d play the lottery instead of fighting or instead of having a job,” Hardy told MMAjunkie. “I don’t know how people are going to react, but I know – and a message to everybody – that I’m willing to go up against it every day of my life to prove that I am a human being, I have worth, I am willing to earn it – and that I’m an entertainer, and I’m one of the best in the world. I keep the fans happy, and I love them just as much as I love my family.”