Last weekend, when the UFC made its anticipated debut on ESPN+, former NFL star Greg Hardy took his first steps into the Octagon, where he took on the dangerous Allen Crowder.

Although Greg Hardy had some success in this fight, he was ultimately disqualified for nuking Crowder with an illegal knee in the second-round.

Speaking to TMZ this week, Hardy opened up on this DQ loss, and on the widespread accusations that he cheated on purpose. He says he’s been hurt by people suggesting he would cheat intentionally.

“I was in a bad place, bro,” Hardy said. “It kind of hurt me. You guys cover me for a long time, I hate losing, bro. I’m not a loser, for one. For two, I hate people thinking that I’m a cheater and just the way that it was all formed and shaped. It kind of hurt me, man.

Greg Hardy added that his choice to throw this illegal knee was simply a product of his inexperience in mixed martial arts.

“Looking back and listening to the rule, I didn’t really understand the rule,” Hardy said. “It was a different understanding. And the crazy thing is, in my mind, I wasn’t even gonna risk it, you know? I was literally waiting for him to get up. I saw the knee come up, and he grabbed the back of my other leg, so it feels like he’s standing up, man. And I was trying to time it.

“I just saw Cowboy Cerrone catch this guy with some perfect timing, and I was just thinking timing a beautiful shot, you know? Like every fight I’ve been in before this fight, there was this moment, I saw, and I locked in on it, and I went for it, man. Like I said, it’s not intentional at all.”

What did you think of the UFC debut of Greg Hardy?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/24/2019.