Allen Crowder, who didn’t fight at all in 2018, will return to the Octagon against a\u00a0controversial figure in Greg Hardy this Saturday night on ESPN+.<\/p>\n
Hardy who was a former pro-bowler in the NFL, was involved in an alleged domestic\u00a0violence case which got him kicked out of the league. Now, he will be making his UFC debut against Crowder. And Crowder is ready.<\/p>\n
“I was super excited,” Crowder told BJPENN.com, looking back on when the matchup was first offered to him. “I saw him fight when he was on the contender series and I was like \u2018man that would be a good matchup.\u2019 Then, they called me, I had all of 2018 off, and I was really looking forward to a fight and they called me late November and in January and said we have a fight for you against Greg Hardy in Brooklyn, New York. Everything lined up perfectly and I\u2019m just excited about it.”<\/span><\/p>\n Although Hardy is making his UFC debut, Crowder is not taking him lightly. He knows all of the former football players wins have come via finish in the first round. Because of that, Crowder feels he has to stick to his game plan to get his hand raised on Saturday.<\/p>\n “In the heavyweight division, you have to worry about anyone knocking you out,” he said. “If you make a mistake you are going to pay for it. You always have to worry about that knockout power. I don\u2019t plan on letting him get that knockout shot. I have been working hard for this fight.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’m trying to be more of a technical fighter, obviously I am a lighter guy compared to more heavyweights,” Crowder continued. “So, I\u2019m trying to make a game plan, and I have a pretty good game plan in mind. I would like to outclass him in boxing, I\u2019m not just trying to stand in the middle and throw punches but I would like to get that knockout standing up.”<\/p>\n Although Crower is approaching this fight like any other, he has received tons of messages from fans hoping he can knock Hardy out.<\/p>\n “I definitely don\u2019t condone anything he has done, but I\u2019m not God and only God can judge what he has done,” he said. “I just want to win because that is the sport and that is what I plan to do. What he has done in the past, I hope he gets right with God and never makes the mistake again. <\/span><\/p>\n “I’m hoping to give him his first loss, I fight to win,” he continued. That is the game plan.”<\/span><\/p>\n Crowder doesn’t just plan on beating Greg Hardy, he plans on knocking him out. He has visualized this fight over and over, and he sees himself winning by knockout every time. He’s even expecting a performance bonus for his handiwork.<\/p>\n