Yahoo Sports Greg Hardy to fight no-contest ruling over inhaler use
After he gets through fighting Alexander Volkov on Nov. 9 on short notice, Greg Hardy will turn back to his last fight, which was ruled a no-contest after he hit his inhaler between rounds. Hardy wants the decision appealed and maintains he did not know that he did anything against the rules, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Hardy took on Ben Sosoli at TD Garden at UFC Boston on Oct, 18, and initially won by unanimous decision in just his fourth pro fight ever. But before the third round, he used the inhaler, looking extremely out of breath.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, an inspector had approved the inhaler use when Hardy’s camp asked. That inspector, however, did not have the proper authority to do so. The Massachusetts State Athletic Commission says Hardy needed to have cleared the inhaler with their organization before using it.
"I think it's something that we're gonna have to fight out in court and figure it out," Hardy said on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show. "The long and short of it is I had no idea [it was against the rules]."
The former NFL All-Pro has only been in the sport since 2018 and says he notified UFC and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency about his inhaler use. Inhaler use itself is not outlawed as long as his dosage stays below a limit instated by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and his use is pre-approved by MSAC.
Hardy also said that he doesn’t necessarily need the inhaler to fight, but that not using it could put him at a disadvantage. And why would he not use it, if he thought it was legal?
"I'm in the middle of figuring it all out," Hardy said. "This is all new to me. As shocking as it may be, Greg Hardy does not know all.
“I didn't need it at all," Hardy said. "I wanted to take the inhaler, because I have asthma and I was at a breathing disadvantage. ... When they're telling you [that] you can, you don't want to continue putting yourself at a disadvantage if you don't have to."
Hardy, 31, was booked as a replacement for Junior Dos Santos against Volkov just four days after the inhaler incident. He said that it’s “sad” he’s not getting the bonus he would have earned for the win over Sosoli, but views it as a learning experience.
“I think I made 100 percent the right decision based upon the knowledge I had," Hardy said.
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