Former UFC Heavyweight Retires On Stool After Terrifying Asthma Scare, Desperately Asks For Inhaler Mid-Boxing Match In Russia
Former UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy keeps stretching his string of losing fights in bizarre fashion. On Friday, Hardy faced off with Evgeny Goncharov in a boxing bout at the Vologda Sports Palace arena, competing under the Vologda Region Governor’s Cup banner in Russia.
Both men opened the fight with a measured, feel-out approach, staying at range and trading low-commitment shots through the first two rounds. In the third, Hardy briefly shifted the momentum, increasing his output and driving his opponent back to the ropes with a flurry of offense.
Goncharov, however, fired back late in the round, catching “Prince of War” clean with multiple punches to the head and reclaiming control before the bell.
Before the fourth round began, Hardy suddenly became unwell in his corner, dropping to the mat while fighting for breath as an asthma attack set in. His distress was audible, with Hardy calling for an inhaler. The 37-year-old former NFL athlete was briefly seen insisting he could still fight, but ringside doctors stepped in and ruled him unfit to continue. The stoppage officially handed Goncharov the win.
After parting ways with the UFC in 2022 following a middling 4-5 run with one no contest, “Prince of War” inked a multi-fight deal with BKFC. Hardy’s bare-knuckle debut came at BKFC KnuckleMania 3 in February 2023 against Josh Watson, where his night ended with a second-round knockout defeat.
Hardy is set to step back into the MMA cage on January 24, 2026, making his debut with Peak Fighting. He’ll headline PFC 50, challenging Phil Latu for the heavyweight title.
When Greg Hardy Puffed An Inhaler Mid–UFC Fight
At UFC Boston in October 2019, Greg Hardy initially secured a unanimous decision win over Ben Sosoli. The outcome was overturned later that night by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission, changed to a no-contest due to “Prince of War” using an inhaler between the second and third rounds.
Hardy was heard asking a commission inspector at cageside if he could use his inhaler, saying he had asthma. The inspector challenged whether it had medical approval. The Tennessee native answered that USADA, the UFC’s anti-doping partner at the time, had cleared its use. Moments later, Hardy took two quick puffs before the fight resumed.
The inhaler contained albuterol, a bronchodilator used to open the airways and improve airflow to the lungs. Upon entering the UFC’s anti-doping pool, Hardy had already disclosed his medications to USADA and was informed the drug was not prohibited.
USADA permits albuterol year-round, with a limit of 800 micrograms per 12 hours, roughly equivalent to 10 inhaler puffs. Final clearance for using it during a fight, though, rests entirely with the overseeing athletic commission.
