ESPN is reporting that former NFL player Greg Hardy is set to make his UFC debut on ESPN’s first televised card on January 19th in Brooklyn. Hardy’s past includes a domestic violence incident involving his ex-girlfriend in which he was found guilty and sentenced but the charges were later dropped after the victim failed to appear in court to testify.
Also on the card is Rachael Ostovich, who was recently a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her boyfriend. Ostovich suffered a fractured orbital bone has said that she will be ready to fight Paige VanZant as one of the featured fights on the card.
The announcement that Hardy will fight on the same card as Ostovich has been criticized from the outset. Not only for signing Hardy, who appeared on two episodes of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series this past summer, but for the lack of awareness of putting Hardy on the same card as a domestic violence victim.
It almost seems as though the UFC did this on purpose to gain the most controversy in order for people to tune in to ESPN’s debut on the network. The UFC realized the bad press with signing Hardy, but putting him on the same card as Ostovich seems tone deaf and in poor taste.
This was just announced, so maybe the UFC decides to move one of the fights due to the backlash.
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