Former NFL Pro Bowler Greg Hardy Will Make UFC Debut on ESPN in January

Greg Hardy is 3-0 in his professional MMA career.

After three amateur fights and three professional fights, former NFL Pro Bowl defensive lineman Greg Hardy is set to make his UFC debut next month, UFC president Dana White told Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com.

Hardy, who has earned first-round knockouts in all six of his matches so far, will face Allen Crowder (9-3, 5 KOs) on Jan. 19 at the first UFC event to be aired live on ESPN as part of a five-year deal between the companies. White told ESPN although contracts have not been signed yet, the heavyweight bout is close to being finalized.

After Hardy's pro debut in June, White signed the former Carolina Panther and Dallas Cowboy to a promotional deal with UFC. Hardy was scheduled for a match on Dec. 21 in Florida, but White pulled him from that event so he would be ready for the Jan. 19 bout that will take place in Brooklyn, New York.

The 30-year-old Hardy played in the NFL from 2010 through 2015, but a domestic violence incident led to him going unsigned after the 2015 season. He was placed on the commissioner's exempt list early in the 2014 season in relation to the incident, and after leaving the Panthers following five seasons in Carolina, he signed with the Cowboys for one season and played 12 games in Dallas. He was initially suspended for 10 games to start that season, but an arbitrator reduced it to four.

The charges Hardy faced in relation to the incident were expunged from his record when the victim failed to appear in court during Hardy's appeal.

The main event for the Jan. 19 UFC Fight Night on ESPN has not been announced yet.