“I had an injury,” he explains. “I was supposed to fight back in June. I ended up getting that healed up and I wanted to fight later in the year, but then my little girl was due for September and we ended up having her and I decided to take the rest of the year off to rest and relax and then they called me for this fight.”
Healthy for fighting and settled in his home life, the 29-year-old is now ready to try out the Octagon once again, and there couldn’t be a better opportunity than this, the chance to upset the heavily-hyped newcomer and give his own career a jolt. As soon as he got the call, he agreed to the fight immediately.
“It was ‘yes’ before they finished the question,” said Crowder. “I saw him on the Contender Series and I knew it was going to be a bit of a special fight just because of his background. I didn’t think it was gonna be a co-main event, but that’s awesome also. I’m pretty excited about it.”
Originally signed to a developmental deal after his DWTNCS win over Austen Lane last June, Hardy scored a second win on the series two months later and added a 53-second finish of Rasheem Jones in September that prompted the UFC to bring him into the big show. It’s an interesting spot for Hardy to be in, because he’s shown raw talent, but he will be giving up experience to everyone he fights. Crowder included.
“I figured when they put him in there they were gonna put him up against somebody and I was hoping they wouldn’t just put him against anybody,” said Crowder. “I’ve got a lot of experience fighting. Between my amateur and my professional career, I’ve got over 20 fights, so I’ve got a lot more experience than he does. So it will definitely be a good challenge for him and a good challenge for myself as well.”
