Hardy -- the former NFL star -- had already won a UFC contract on Dana's Tuesday night contender series back in June, but Dana wanted to book him a second fight on the show to get him more experience.

So, Hardy stepped in the Octagon again Tuesday night against Tebaris Gordon, and if you blinked ... you missed Hardy unleash an epic can of whoop ass that resulted in another ferocious victory.

Hardy has only had a handful of MMA fights since he decided to focus on becoming a pro fighter -- but he's destroyed every single opponent he's faced. Dana has previously told us he wants to get Hardy more fights before putting him on a major UFC card.