Greg Hardy is still new to the sport of MMA and the UFC, but that doesn’t mean he has his mind set on a dream matchup in the future.
Hardy, who will face Juan Adams this weekend at UFC San Antonio, recently stated that he wants to be the greatest heavyweight of all-time. To accomplish that very feat, Hardy knows he may have to get by one of the greatest to ever step in the cage; the UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
When asked if he would be interested in stepping in the Octagon with Jones down the road, Greg Hardy didn’t hesitate to respond positively.
“That’s like saying you want to play against Troy Aikman and the Cowboys,” Hardy told TMZ Sports. “It’s impossible not to dream of Greg Hardy vs. Jon Jones for the heavyweight title after he’s done finishing off the light heavyweight division. Full disclosure, Jon Jones is someone that I emulate as a fighter. I think he’s one of the most complete fighters in the game. I think he’s one of the most dangerous men in this world and that’s, honestly, who I’m trying to fight like. It would be an honor and a pleasure to go to war with him if I make it that far.”
Greg Hardy will look to make it two straight in the UFC this weekend following a disqualification loss to Allen Crowder at UFC on ESPN+1 in February and a first-round TKO win over Dmitrii Smolyakov in April at UFC Fort Lauderdale.
As the conversation continued, Hardy was asked if he could see himself defeating Jones should they square off down the road.
“For sure,” Hardy said. “Like I said, he’s a great dude, a great competitor, but I’m here to clean out the whole division and anyone who wants to join it. I’m here to be the greatest combat sports heavyweight of all-time, and if that includes taking out Jon Jones to do that, than that’s what I’ve got to do. And I’ll do it with all due respect like I would Stipe, like I would Daniel. I think a lot of times my comments get misconstrued as disrespectful and it’s not. If I’m sitting here saying I can’t beat somebody, than do I even belong here?”
Will there be a future heavyweight showdown between Greg Hardy and Jon Jones? Whatdo you think?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/18/2019.