Controversial heavyweight Greg Hardy takes on Alexander Volkov this weekend at UFC Moscow, and he says he’s fighting for the respect of his peers and fans.

Hardy has been a lightning rod of criticism ever since he signed with the UFC following his win on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. Hardy’s past domestic violence incidents during his NFL days have continued to haunt him into his MMA career, which has been extremely controversial so far. He lost his UFC debut to Allen Crowder via DQ and then had a No Contest with Ben Sosoli after illegally using an inhaler during the fight.

Still, Hardy believes he will be able to turn around how the media, the fans, and his fellow fighters view him, and he says an upset win over Volkov is the first step towards gaining more respect. Check out what Hardy had to say in a recent interview with UFC.com.

“In the aspect of my last fight, I have nothing to prove. In the aspect of, ‘I belong here,’ I would like the respect of my peers and actual MMA fans. I do have something to prove. And I’m going to show them that win, lose or draw you’re going to get everything out of me. Volkov’s a master of the fight game. But I’m a master of athletics. I’m one of the best in the world,” Hardy said.

For this fight with Volkov, the UFC’s Jeff Novitzky confirmed Hardy will absolutely not be allowed to use his inhaler. If he wants to defeat Volkov, he will have to be at the top of his game. Hardy admits it’s an uphill climb, but then again, according to Hardy he’s already accomplished more in one year in the UFC than a man with asthma should have.

“Inhaler or no inhaler, I’m a man with asthma. I shouldn’t be here anyways. But I’m here fighting three rounds and knocking off all these men in one year – and I am counting Volkov. This is all a feat that has never been done before,” Hardy said.

Would you gain more respect for Greg Hardy if he’s able to defeat Alexander Volkov at UFC Moscow?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/7/2019.