Hardy's venture into MMA takes more than just training

It appears that anyone can call themselves a professional mixed martial arts fighter.

Last week, former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy announced that he would trade in his cleats and shoulder pads and embark on an MMA career.

In a statement to MMA Fighting.com, Hardy said he has been training for several months and there are already promoters who are interested in signing him. Hardy’s first professional fight is scheduled for 2017.

Hardy, a second-team All American from the University of Mississippi, played for the Carolina Panthers from 2010-2014, before he signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys in 2015. He was suspended for almost the entire 2014 season and part of 2015 because of a domestic violence incident with an ex-girlfriend, which was later expunged from his record. With the Cowboys not re-signing him and no other NFL franchise taking an interest, I guess it makes sense he would want to pursue a career off the gridiron.

But mixed martial arts?

When a person says they want to enter MMA, I’ll tip my hat to them and wish them luck. However, it’s going to take more than a couple of months of training for Hardy to be successful in something as dangerous and challenging as MMA.

There is no real certification process to becoming a professional mixed martial arts fighter. While it is important to have a solid background in one or more martial arts disciplines, there aren’t any real prerequisites to stepping into the cage. All you really need to do is fill out a combat sports license application, complete a physical examination form — which has to be signed by doctors — and a pay a licensing fee.

Aspiring fighters will spend 1-4 years at the amateur MMA level before they make the transition to professional competition. There are some combat athletes, like former women’s boxing champion Holly Holm or Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier, who spent years competing in another sport before transitioning to MMA.

However, there have been athletes who enter mixed martial arts without any amateur bouts on their resume or prior combat sports experience such as former professional wrestler Phil Brooks — also known as C.M. Punk.

Shortly after he left WWE in 2014, Brooks signed a deal with the UFC and for the next two years, he trained, trained and trained — while recovering from back surgery and injuries he sustained in the wrestling ring. He made his UFC debut in September where Mickey Gall — who had four fights (two professional and two amateur) — defeated him in two minutes.

Being a football player does not rule Hardy out of a successful MMA career.

Matt Mitrione, who played for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, has an MMA record of 11-5 and currently fights for Bellator MMA, one of the bigger organizations. Brendan Schaub, who played for the Arena Football League’s Utah Blaze and was on the Buffalo Bills practice squad, went 10-5 before he retired from mixed martial arts in 2014.

One hurdle Hardy will need to overcome if he wants his MMA career to be successful is drug use. In September, Hardy was arrested for felony possession of cocaine in Dallas. Mixed martial arts drug testing in the United States is pretty rigorous and Hardy will need to keep himself clean to pass those tests.

Whenever an athlete decides to compete in mixed martial arts, there’s always talk of whether or not they will fight in the UFC. During an interview on Fox Sport One’s “Speak for Yourself,” UFC President Dana White did not rule out the idea of his organization signing Hardy in the future, after the former Dallas Cowboy has gained some experience.

I think it’s smart for the UFC to hold off on signing Hardy right now. The UFC prides itself on being an organization that puts on quality fights and brings in the best mixed martial arts talent in the world. Signing an athlete like Hardy because of his name cheapens their brand a little bit.

Hardy could have a successful mixed martial arts career, but it’s going to be a long road for him and he’s going to face many challenges along the way.

But as UFC color commentator Joe Rogan likes to say, “anything can happen in mixed martial arts.”

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].