The promotion recently confirmed that the former NFL Pro Bowler-turned-heavyweight prospect will fight Dmitrii Smoliakov (9-2) at UFC on ESPN 3, which is scheduled to take place at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., following an initial report by ESPN.
A previously reported main event rematch between middleweight contenders Yoel Romero and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was also made official.
This will be Hardy’s second UFC fight following a disastrous debut against Allen Crowder at UFC Brooklyn in January. That bout ended when Hardy landed an illegal knee on a downed Crowder in the second round, leading to him losing by disqualification.