As a former Eastern Alamance High School football star, Allen Crowder knows how to take a hit to the head.
The Mebane native won the co-main event of UFC Fight Night Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, although it wasn't pretty. Crowder won by disqualification when opponent and former NFL star Greg Hardy illegally kneed him in the head.
Hardy was soundly booed from the moment he walked out to the octagon at Barclays Center for his first fight for the promotion.
With Crowder down on one knee, Hardy blasted him with a knee to the side of the head. Referee Dan Miragliotta immediately separated the heavyweights. Hardy looked confused as medical staff quickly entered the cage and checked on Crowder.
Hardy slumped against the cage on the other side as the crowd erupted in boos and chanted profanities at the disgraced former Carolina Panther and Dallas Cowboy. Hardy left the NFL after he was convicted of assaulting and threatening to kill a woman.
Crowder, 29, is listed with a 10-3 record as a fighter on his Sherdog page. His nickname? 'Pretty boy.'
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