POOR SPORTS
Barry Laminack: Greg Hardy signing is a bad look for the UFC
Jun 14, 2018, 9:16 am
Former NFL player Greg Hardy will get a shot in the UFC. But should he? Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
Word came out yesterday that the UFC has signed Greg Hardy to a developmental contract (meaning he’ll fight on lower promotions but the UFC will retain the rights to “call him up” when they want). Hardy looked good on the contender series, knocking out Austen Lane in 57 seconds.
By the by, if you haven't seen the video it's absolutely hilarious to watch Dana White and match maker Mick Maynard’s faces when Hardy scores his knockout. They look like they actually enjoy watching fighting, which is refreshing to see.
What’s not refreshing is inking Greg Hardy to a deal.
Look, I know that the UFC is always looking for different angles for promotion. You need look no further than UFC 225 and CM Punk vs Mike Jackson ON PAY-PER-VIEW. So it's not like the UFC isn't willing to try putting people on who are definitely going to sell pay-per-views. Remember they also put James Toney in the ring with Randy Couture...smh.
I think Greg Hardy is a huge mistake for the organization. On my show (The Usual Suspects - airs M-F 1-4pm on ESPN 97.5) my producer Nick Sharara reminded me that Dana White at one point said, “There’s one thing that you never bounce back from and that’s putting your hands on a woman. Been that way in the UFC since we started here.”
Of course Dana White also said he would never let women fight in the UFC, so there’s that.
Greg Hardy was convicted of spousal abuse but that conviction was later expunged when the victim failed to appear in court for a jury trial during his appeal. Still, I’m a “where there’s smoke there’s fire” kind of guy, so this is still a terrible look for the UFC, but the UFC apparently doesn't care as much about that and feels like it would be good to get in bed with Hardy.
MMA already has the reputation of being a meathead sport, and Greg Hardy in the mix doesn't help that reputation. it also doesn't reflect well on the organization itself for being complicit and giving him opportunities to continue his sports career.
Besides, there are a TON of prospects that deserve a shot at a UFC contract, the UFC doesn’t NEED Greg Hardy.
It’s just a bad look all around, but then again, we know White doesn’t give a sh-- what anyone thinks.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.