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UFC fighter, domestic violence victim Jessica-Rose Clark ‘very against’ Greg Hardy’s UFC deal

The UFC’s signing of Greg Hardy strikes a personal chord with women’s flyweight Jessica-Rose Clark.

A domestic violence survivor, Clark today said she’s “very against” the promotion’s decision to sign the former NFL star, whose history with domestic violence is well documented.

“I don’t believe people like that change,” the 30-year-old fighter said during an appearance on the “Phonebooth Fighting” podcast.

Clark (9-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who’s scheduled to face Jessica Eye (12-6 MMA, 2-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 132, spoke about her own experience with domestic violence and how it shaped her opinions on those who perpetrate it. The native Australian said that while her former fiance Julian Wallace pleaded guilty in 2016 to two counts of assault, he received just a 15-month suspended sentence, a small fine and was allowed to retain his passport by Australian authorities.

“They gave him his second chance, and I’m a firm believer that someone who is capable of going as far as he went with me – and I know he’s been further with other women before I met him – he’s not going to change,” Clark said. “He can do all the convincing and all the lying in the world, and he can convince you that he’s a really good person. But who he is at his core is someone who’s capable and willing to do stuff like that.”

Wallace, best known for his role in a viral video that saw him bully and then get knocked out by UFC fighter Ben Nguyen, was charged after an April incident in which he reportedly confronted Clark at home after she brought home the wrong noodles for dinner. He accused her of infidelity, then proceeded to kick her in the head while wearing boots, hit her in the face and knee her in the ribs, and then throw her to the ground. He also tried to choke her, but Clark said she broke out of the hold and knocked him out with a head kick before calling police.

Wallace took partial responsibility for his role in a “very violent relationship” with Clark and said he only pleaded guilty because of financial reasons and wanted her to leave him alone. Clark released a detailed Facebook statement describing her experience with Wallace, urging others struggling with domestic abuse to seek help. Wallace’s history with abuse didn’t go unnoticed by the MMA community, and his career sputtered after his guilty plea.

Despite strong backlash on social meda, UFC President Dana White gave Hardy a pass to compete on his UFC Fight Pass-streamed Contender Series.

White misrepresented the former All-Pro defensive end’s history with domestic violence, saying he was never convicted of his charges (Hardy was convicted, though charges were dropped when the victim failed to testify on appeal). White also said Hardy deserved a second chance, despite once calling such an act a career-ender in the UFC.

On Tuesday, Hardy made good on his opportunity and knocked out Austen Lane in 57 seconds to secure a UFC development contract. White said afterward that Hardy has “paid his dues” and “hit rock bottom” and was doing the right things to turn his life around.

Clark, though, criticized the standards to which star athletes are held when accusations of domestic violence first surface.

“Athletic ability seems to supersede any negative thing you do in your life,” Clark said. “You see it time and time again, like Kobe Bryant. It happens so often, and it blows my mind that that’s where our society is at. That like, ‘Oh, he did all these really terrible things, but he’s an amazing athlete, so (expletive) it, let’s just let him keep going and keep making his millions and keep being on TV.’ There’s no punishment.

“What stops (Hardy) from going and doing it to the next girlfriend? I promise you that wasn’t the first girlfriend that he did that to. But he didn’t get punished for that one, either. He didn’t get punished for the first ones, and he didn’t get punished for that one, and now he’s going to be televised on one of the largest broadcasts in the world, for one of the most popular sports in the world. What’s stopping him from doing it to every girl that comes into contact with him?”

But one of the most concerning issues at play when it comes to the subject of domestic violence, according to Clark, is how little people look beyond the surface when it comes to an athlete’s past.

“In the age of social media, it’s hard for people to care about it, because whether you react negatively or positively to something, now with social media and how quickly people have access to that, you get an immediate feedback,” Clark said. “So it’s like drinking or taking drugs – you say something, you get a reaction straight away, which is what I think people crave. So there’s no need to look into anything further, because you’re getting that quick fix all the time.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 132, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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  • Category:
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