EXCLUSIVE
Greg Hardy vs. Shawne Merriman … in a fist fight?!
Yeah, this could actually happen.
Shawne — the former NFL superstar — is about to compete in his first bare knuckle boxing match … and if he wins, “Lights Out” says he’d LOVE to get in the ring against Hardy.
Of course, Hardy has been crushing everybody since transitioning from the NFL to MMA — and has already earned a development contract with the UFC.
Now, Merriman is following Hardy’s lead … sorta.
The ex-Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker signed a deal with the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation to brawl on Nov. 9 against Mike Bourke — a dude who once knocked out Ken Shamrock.
If Merriman wins, he tells TMZ Sports … a superfight with Hardy would be awesome.
“I’ll definitely be open to see what Greg Hardy got to offer.”
By the way, this isn’t some fun experiment for Merriman — he’s been seriously training for years and believes, since he’s only 34, he can have a real future in combat sports.
It all starts with Mike Bourke — and Shawne says he’s already putting together his fight plan.