/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63237315/1096750816.jpg.0.jpg)
The UFC has another fight lined up for Greg Hardy.
The promotion recently confirmed that the former NFL Pro Bowler-turned-heavyweight prospect will fight Dmitrii Smoliakov (9-2) at UFC on ESPN 3 on April 27, which is scheduled to take place at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., following an initial report by ESPN.
A previously reported main event rematch between middleweight contenders Yoel Romero and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was also made official.
This will be Hardy’s second UFC fight following a disastrous debut against Allen Crowder at UFC Brooklyn in January. That bout ended when Hardy landed an illegal knee on a downed Crowder in the second round, leading to him losing by disqualification. Prior to that setback, Hardy was 3-0 as a pro and 3-0 as an amateur, with five of those wins coming by way of knockout in under a minute. Two of those victories occurred on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.
The 30-year-old Hardy’s move to MMA generated much publicity due to his NFL background and a high-profile domestic violence incident in 2014 that played a part in his expulsion from the league.
Smoliakov, 34, returns to the UFC after winning his most recent bout at a show in Russia in January. He is 0-2 in his previous Octagon appearances, last competing for the UFC on Jan. 15, 2017 when he lost to Cyril Asker via first-round TKO.
Also official for UFC on ESPN 3, John Lineker (31-8) and Cory Sandhagen (10-1) will meet in a bantamweight bout that was originally scheduled for UFC Brooklyn, welterweights Alex Oliveira (20-6-1, 2 NC) and Li Jingliang (16-5) face off, and former UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza fights former Invicta FC strawweight champion Livinha Souza,
See the updated card below (bout order to be determined):
Glover Teixeira vs. Ion Cutelaba
Carla Esparza vs. Livinha Souza
John Lineker vs. Cory Sandhagen
Andrei Arlovski vs. Augusto Sakai
Greg Hardy vs. Dmitrii Smoliakov
Alex Oliveira vs. Li Jingliang