MMA Preview – Greg Hardy vs Allen Crowder at UFC Fight Night 143
AT A GLANCE
When is UFC Fight Night 143? Sunday 20th January, 2019 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 143? Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
What channel is UFC Fight Night 143 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 143? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
Are tickets still available for UFC Fight Night 143? http://uk.ufc.com/event-ticket...
THE STATISTICS
THE LOWDOWN
The former NFL star Greg Hardy makes his debut for the first ESPN card which has been heavily in the spotlight, mainly for the wrong reasons. The signing has been clouded in controversy due to Hardy’s troubled past involving an assault on a former girlfriend. After his promising NFL career was cut short he carried over his athletic prowess to MMA where he won all three of his amateur fights via KO/TKO and has mirrored that record in his first three professional fights.
Hardy will always be under scrutiny for his past actions but the UFC have handed him an opportunity to kick start his MMA career. He takes on Allen Crowder who was also successful on Dana White’s Contender Series. However, he suffered a knockout loss to Justin Willis on his UFC debut and now he is out for redemption against the number one villain.
THE PREDICTION
Morals aside, Hardy is a freak athlete. The former defensive end has the perfect attributes to cause chaos in the heavyweight division. He is 6’4” and 265 lbs but frighteningly quick and explosive. He has also clearly worked on the fundamentals of striking and despite his ferocity, he has looked very composed in the exchanges with a sound left jab and a calculating counter right.
So, Crowder will have to execute a game plan to make up for the athletic discrepancy. He is obviously a knockout threat as well, with five knockouts to his name, but he is also a good grappler and needs to take the fight to the floor.
However, what Hardy lacks in experience he makes up for in raw athleticism and power which is likely to result in an early knockout.
Winner: Hardy via KO/TKO
Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.
