Former UFC heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of his upcoming boxing match against Hasim Rahman Jr this Saturday and has been replaced by ex-NFL and UFC contender Greg Hardy.
Greg Hardy announced as late replacement for Vitor Belfort
Scheduled for 19th November at the Moody Theater, in Austin, Texas, Belfort was set to headline the Misfits Boxing 3 event against Rahman Jr, before he was suddenly replaced with Hardy. Initially, it was unclear why ‘The Phenom’ had been replaced, but ESPN later brought confirmation about the contamination by the virus.
🚨 CARD UPDATE: GREG HARDY TO FACE HASIM RAHMAN JR 💥
This Saturday @_HasimRahmanJr will face Greg Hardy on @DAZNBoxing as Misfits Boxing comes to TEXAS 🇺🇸 @SauerlandBros | @MamsTaylor | #MisfitsBoxing pic.twitter.com/miNTvT9AEt
— Misfits Boxing (@MisfitsBoxing) November 15, 2022
The former UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, as well as the former UFC Light Heavyweight and Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion, Belfort had just one fight in boxing and beat Evander Holyfield by technical knockout in September 2021.
The fight between Hasim Rahman Jr and Greg Hardy will be four rounds and at heavyweight, even though Rahman Jr has weighed 100 pounds less than his future opponent in his last fights.
After leaving the UFC due to a three-fight losing streak, Greg Hardy decided to venture into boxing. In his debut in the modality, he knocked out Michael Cook. Now, he will have the opportunity to prevail over an experienced boxer.
With 12 wins on his record, 31-year-old Rahman Jr had his only boxing loss in his last fight, when he suffered a fifth-round technical knockout to James McKenzie Morrison in April 2022. The heavyweight was due to fight Jake Paul in August, but the YouTuber’s team claimed that Rahman Jr was out of the combined weight and the event was cancelled.
Hardy, 34, has just one boxing match and one win, against Michael Cook via second-round TKO in October. Now a boxer, Hardy has had a controversial career as a defensive end in the NFL, including allegations of domestic violence, and a record of seven wins and five losses in MMA. For his UFC stint, which ended back in March after the end of his contract, Hardy racked up four wins and five losses, in addition to one fight without a result.
Upon the announcement of the updated fight card for Saturday, Hardy took to Instagram to reveal his excitement for the fight.
“I’m coming back to Texas like I never left. Ya boy is going live in the greatest state down the street from americas football team and we going toe to toe baby. I can’t wait to be back in my second home doing work in front of the dopest fans on the planet,” Hardy wrote.
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