Greg Hardy books first bare-knuckle fight against Josh Watson at BKFC KnuckleMania 3

Greg Hardy has booked his bare-knuckle fighting debut.

The former NFL defensive standout and ex-UFC heavyweight will make his first appearance at BKFC KnuckleMania on Feb. 17 when he faces Josh Watson in a featured bout on the main card.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Thursday. MyMMANews initially reported the contest.

Hardy, 34, actually signed with BKFC back in June 2022, but he ultimately decided to get his boxing career started before moving into bare-knuckle competition. In back-to-back fights, Hardy picked up a win over Mike Cook and then stepped in as a late notice replacement for Vitor Belfort, earning a unanimous decision over Hasim Rahman Jr. this past November.

Now, Hardy will try his hand at bare-knuckle fighting with a slot on the biggest BKFC card promoted each year with the latest event taking place in Albuquerque, N.M.

Hardy faces off with Watson, who sports a 1-1 record in BKFC competition with his first win coming over Kyle McElroy this past August in Albuquerque.

Hardy vs. Watson joins a lineup at BKFC KnuckleMania 3 that also includes a title fight between Lorenzo Hunt and Mike Richman in the main event as well as UFC Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez taking on boxing champion Austin Trout in the co-main event.