Earlier this year, former NFL star Greg Hardy appeared on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, where he knocked out Austen Lane to earn a ‘developmental deal’ with the UFC. Hardy’s involvement with the UFC, of course, is deeply controversial, given his ugly history of domestic violence.

In the face of continued criticisms, UFC President Dana White wants to remind the world that Greg Hardy isn’t yet in the UFC, and that he’ll have to win at least one more Contender Series bout before he gets an official UFC contract.

“We didn’t [give him a spot in the UFC],” Dana White said during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up!. “He’s not in the UFC. I have a show called Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. He fought in that show, which we do every Tuesday night. He fought, he won, and now he’s coming back for another Contender Series. He’s not in the UFC. Right now, he’s in a developmental program, being developed. Other guys are in this program too. He may or may not make it into the UFC.”

White also assured that he understands the criticisms against Hardy.

“No matter what this guy does for the rest of his life — he can save children every weekend for the next 20 years — this is what’s going to come up,” White said. “This is what people are going to talk about, and believe me, I get it, and he gets it to.”

All the same, White seems to believe that Hardy has changed.

“The guy paid his penalties. He hit rock bottom, quit drugs, quit alcohol, built himself back up in a different profession and is trying to get another shot at life,” the UFC boss said. “It’s not like this stuff happened on a regular basis, it happened once. He hit rock bottom, he’s trying to come back.”

Do you think Greg Hardy belongs in the UFC, or would the promotion be wise to distance itself from the controversial NFL veteran?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/5/2018.