Last night, in the co-main event of the UFC’s first card on ESPN, former NFL player Greg Hardy made his debut in the Octagon. In the end, this debut went rather disastrously for Hardy, as he was disqualified for an illegal knee in the second round.

Given the controversial past of Greg Hardy, many fans imagined that this DQ loss would signal the end of his stint in the UFC. UFC President Dana White, however, seems to be looking at the situation very differently.

White feels that, DQ notwithstanding, Greg Hardy proved he can fight. Furthermore, the UFC boss confirmed that the former football star will get another fight in the Octagon.

“One thing that I did learn about Hardy tonight, he can fight,” White told reporters post-fight (h/t Bloody Elbow). “He can fight, he’s an athlete, not only can he punch hard, but he can take a big punch. He got hit with some good shots tonight, his ground game, I think everybody thought if he got taken down to the ground that was gonna be the end of him.”

“He got out of trouble on the ground several times, and he learned a lot tonight,” White continued. “Yeah, he’ll get another fight. He made a real big rookie mistake and it caused him an ‘L’ tonight. It ruined his perfect record.”

With this DQ loss, Greg Hardy is now 3-1 overall. Do you think he deserves another shot in the UFC?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/20/2019.