Report: Greg Hardy’s Second Octagon Appearance Booked for UFC on ESPN 3 on April 27

Greg Hardy is expected to make his second Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance at UFC on ESPN 3.

According to a report from ESPN, Hardy will square off against Dmitry Smoliakov in a heavyweight bout at the BB&T Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Las Vegas-based promotion has not confirmed the pairing.

Hardy’s Octagon debut ended in disqualification when landed an illegal knee against Allen Crowder in the second frame of their bout at UFC Brooklyn on Jan. 19. The former NFL Pro Bowler was a controversial addition to the UFC roster due to past allegations of domestic violence. Hardy is 3-1 in MMA, including a pair of first-round stoppages on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

Smoliakov went 0-2 during a brief UFC stint from 2016 to 2017. He was submitted by Luis Henrique Barbosa de Oliveira in the second round at UFC on Fox 20 before suffering a first-round TKO defeat to Cyril Asker in January 2017. The 36-year-old Russian owns a 9-2 career mark, with all his victories coming inside the distance.