Greg Hardy’s Win Overturned After Inhaler Use Between Rounds
Written by SOURCE on October 19, 2019
Greg Hardy‘s victory over Ben Sosoli has been overturned to a no contest.
MMAFighting.com reports that the UFC has changed Hardy’s victory after he was caught using an inhaler between the second and third rounds of his fight in Boston. The Massachusetts State Athletic Commission allows a fighter to take “a maximum of 1600 micrograms [of albuterol] over 24 hours in divided doses, and not to exceed 800 micrograms over 12 hours starting from any dose.”
Because Hardy’s team did not pre-approve his albuterol inhaler before the fight, his action was deemed illegal by the commission. Hardy claimed he was given permission to use the inhaler after the news was announced.
“I was in the ring, [and] me and my coach asked the commission if it would be OK to use my inhaler and they said yes, so I took it,” Hardy told the press. “I’m still the new guy in this sport. I did what I do in every situation—I asked permission, I got permission and I did what I was told.”
UFC President, Dana White, empathized with Hardy’s inexperience and instead blamed his coach, Din Thomas.
“First of all, Din Thomas, come on Din, you’ve been in this game forever,” White said. “His corner, they’ve got to know you can’t use an inhaler in the corner. They should know that. Shouldn’t even be a question.”
Hardy’s coach and corner are expected to appeal the decision.