Greg Hardy says he’s “reaching assassin level” ahead of Maurice Greene fight

UFC heavyweight contender Greg Hardy says he’s “reaching assassin level” ahead of his fight against Maurice Greene at UFC Vegas 12.

Hardy is one of the most controversial fighters in the sport right now due to his past as a member of the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and domestic violence allegations he faced when he played football. Since making his UFC debut in January 2019, Hardy has gone 3-2, 1 NC with wins over Yorgan De Castro, Juan Adams, and Dmitry Smoliakov, losses to Alexander Volkov and Allen Crowder, and a No Contest against Ben Sosoli. This Saturday night in Vegas, he faces another tough test when he takes on “The Crochet Boss” Greene.

As of this writing, neither Hardy nor Greene are currently ranked in the UFC heavyweight top-15, but with an impressive win this weekend, it’s certainly possible the winner could jump into the bottom end of the rankings. Speaking to the media ahead of his big fight this weekend, Hardy says he’s “reaching assassin level” at this stage of his MMA career.

“I’m reaching assassin level, man. I had some valleys to get over, I’m not going to lie. I had to go through some tough times, especially in my last two fights. The last one, I didn’t have to, but I prolonged it just to get some time in the ring. With Volkov, having to figure stuff out and being in there with an assassin, as you saw last weekend,” Hardy said (via MMAjunkie.com).

“If I was a C- or D-level fighter, yeah, I’d say I was a D level fighter. I think I’m in the B class (now). I’ve added some tools and knowledge to where I’m about to start finishing fights and head hunt, looking for a rank next to my name. It’s time.”

Hardy said that he has been training extra hard for this fight because he wants to make a statement and use a win here over Greene to springboard himself into a matchup against another top opponent in his next fight and make the jump to the top-10 at heavyweight.

“I want to take it up a couple of notches because I’m starting to realize to get to that goal level,” Hardy said. “By this time next year, we need to be top-ranked level. We need to be top-10 talent. We need to be moving as if I’d been here for 10 years.”

Do you think Greg Hardy will jump into the top-15 at heavyweight with a win over Maurice Greene at UFC Vegas 12?