Greg Hardy is inching closer to a UFC contract. The former NFL defensive lineman for the Panthers and Cowboys is set to join UFC president Dana White's "Tuesday Night Contender Series" this summer with a shot at joining the organization on the line.

Hardy is 3-0 in three amateur bouts with all three coming by way of knockout in under two minutes. MMAFighting and MMA Today first reported the news. Hardy trains out of Coconut Creek, Florida, with American Top Team as his been under the guidance of some of the top pros in the world -- like Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal.

"I remember the first day that he came last year, I saw him and gave him a pair of my gloves," Lawal said on the 'In This Corner' podcast in January. "I said, 'Alright man let's work on this.' He was on the bag and he went from hitting the bag with his right hand and hook to uppercuts, learning kicks, to learning takedown defense and jiu jitsu. He's a fast learner and he loves it.

Lawal said at the time that Hardy could make the jump to UFC or Bellator in a year or so. He seems ahead of schedule already.

"If his head is right, he'll be the man to be beat and a top 10 fighter," Lawal said. "I don't know what his chin is like because I don't try to knock you out in sparring. But a heavyweight, a guy that athletic and big and strong … the moment he learns how to relax and think in the cage, I don't think anyone is going to beat him unless it's somebody that has good striking experience or good wrestling experience.

"I've seen him spar with a few guys in UFC. I saw him spar with a guy who is going to make his debut in UFC from Russia. I saw Hardy put his hands on him, I saw Hardy sit him down. Hardy made him quit.