LAS VEGAS – Greg Hardy would like UFC fans to give him a chance.

“Get to know me first,” the former NFL defensive lineman told MMAjunkie at a media day in support of his fight against Austen Lane (4-0) at Dana White’s Contender Series 9.

The question that confronts many fans is, does he even deserve that? Hardy (0-0) was in 2014 convinced of domestic abuse charges that were later overturned on appeal. Still, he emerged from the case with a tarnished name and a wrecked NFL career.

Fans once voted to keep Hardy off the field. The powers behind the sport he loved most washed their hands of him. How much should his past factor into his new career, especially now that he’s on the cusp of entry to another major sports platform?

Hardy accepts some people won’t give him a chance in the first place. He knows that’s the price he must pay. He still hopes to show people he’s not a bad person.

“Meet me would be a good start,” he said. “Talk to me, and give me the opportunity that you would give anybody else.”

Hardy said the real truth is that he’s a hard-working athlete who loves his fans and is willing to earn his keep in the UFC. He’s not interested in leveraging his fame – or infamy – into an octagon career. He’s interested in proving himself a capable martial artist.

“I’m here to earn it and work my way up,” he said. “I’m not trying to say my name is Greg Hardy and I deserve a shot, or I’m not trying to ‘CM Punk’ my way into the situation. I don’t think I should be there because of my name. I want people to know that I should be there because they’ve seen the fights, they’ve seen the product.”

Hardy estimates he won’t get another chance in the NFL, so he’s transferred his dream of winning a Super Bowl ring into one where he holds an MMA world championship. His shot on the Contender Series is a literal fight for redemption.

“Now that I have this new opportunity, I think I can actually put some of that to rest,” he said.

There are many MMA observers who won’t let that happen. Recent comments from UFC President Dana White didn’t improve the optics of his decision to sign Hardy.

White, who once said a domestic violence charge was a career-ender in the UFC, said this past weekend that Hardy wasn’t convicted in his 2014 case. But, in fact, he was convicted on charges of assaulting a female and communicating threats. Only when his accuser declined to testify on appeal were the charges expunged.

Hardy contends there’s more to him than abhorrent headlines. But he knows there’s not much he can say to change people’s minds. He welcomes those who want to see him knocked out as much as those who are curious as to whether he can really fight.

“There’s a whole lot of levels of understanding when you don’t know a person, when you know any of the facts,” he said. “But I do understand people do have their own opinions, and if you don’t respect people’s opinions, that’s just Hitler-esque.”

In the NFL, Hardy said he stood out because he worked harder than everyone else. But more importantly, he didn’t take any shortcuts to success. And he said nothing will change in his new career.

When Hardy faces Lane on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed card on Tuesday at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas, he’ll do what he said he was born to do.

Whether or not his fight ends in redemption, that’s out of his hands.

“I don’t know if everybody’s familiar with my history, but I’ve never been afraid to talk, or be in the spotlight,” Hardy said. “This is what I do. This is who I am. I was born to be here.

“I work harder than everybody else, and I try to just put my best foot forward and do it for my team, and do it for everybody that helped me get here.”

To hear more from Hardy, check out the video above.

And for more on Dana White’s Contender Series 9, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.