As poorly as the NFL has handled domestic abuse allegations among its players, the UFC may have just earned the heavyweight belt in tone deafness.
Last week, ESPN reported that former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy, out of that league largely because of his criminal history with domestic violence, will make his debut for promotion as a mixed martial arts fighter on Jan. 19 at an event in Brooklyn.
That fight against Allen Crowder would have drawn enough outrage because of the former Panthers and Cowboys player’s background. But the uproar surrounding UFC’s first ESPN+ card is that much worse because Rachel Ostovich is scheduled to fight Paige VanZant on the same card.
Ostovich was hospitalized last month after allegedly being assaulted by her husband, UFC fighter Arnold Berdon, in an attack so severe, it left her a broken orbital bone. Her partner has been charged with second-degree assault, with the next hearing scheduled for later this month.
“Considering the fighters’ respective histories with domestic violence, the UFC should have thought twice before putting Hardy and Ostovich on the same card,” writes The Sporting News. “Plain and simple, it’s a bad idea.”
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