Greg Hardy's asthma makes him 'terrified' to fight during pandemic – but loyalty won out for UFC 249

Greg Hardy admitted he’s scared to be competing during the current global coronavirus pandemic.

The UFC heavyweight and former NFL standout returns to the octagon Saturday when he takes on Yorgan De Castro at UFC 249. It comes under unprecedented circumstances. This is the first UFC event held during the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. On top of that, Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has asthma, which makes leaving his home and heading to Jacksonville, Fla., to compete in a professional fight much more concerning than it normally would.

“I’m terrified, man,” Hardy said in a virtual media scrum Thursday. “But that’s not going to stop me from paving the way and making sure my boss has the most entertaining fight – (the) first event out of all sports. This is the biggest event, and it needs the biggest athletes.”

Hardy has been open about his issues with asthma. He even had a win overturned to a no contest after using an inhaler in between rounds in his fight with Ben Sosoli last October.

Although the UFC has implemented several safety protocols to deal with COVID-19, including testing for all athletes and everyone involved in the event, it remains a controversial discussion whether MMA fights should be going on just yet. The UFC is working with the Florida State Boxing Commission to regulate UFC 249.

Despite having asthma and knowing the respiratory issues that COVID-19 causes, Hardy said loyalty to the company is one of the main reasons why he didn’t pull out of his bout with De Castro.

“The guys take care of me. They make sure everything is done right, everything is done on time. They take care of my needs, and I think that’s worth loyalty,” Hardy said.

For the majority of fighters, training for UFC 249 has been much different than for other fights due to the closing of gyms and safety protocols instituted by state governments. For Hardy, it was no different. He even had to train with a new team and not American Top Team in Florida.

“This one has been crazy for me,” Hardy said. “I have asthma, so I chose not to fly. I’ve been driving back and forth from Dallas back to my gym (in Coconut Creek, Fla.). Two times, I was honored to be in every single one of those cards (that got postponed). But it was just back-and-forth – train and drive, train and drive. So I ended up separating from my coaches and getting a whole new coaching staff. So this has been a whirlwind for me. And on top of that, the COVID – so just trying to stay safe. It’s been lot of ups and downs, but we’re here and we’re ready.”