Hardy's resilient response after Bellator humiliation
WARNING: The following video and article contain graphic images that some viewers may find disturbing.
Bellator's answer for Ronda Rousey, 35-year-old former boxer Heather Hardy, has responded after copping an absolute hammering in her second professional MMA bout.
After being strongly hyped up by the fighting promotion, Hardy suffered a humiliating loss to Kristina Williams over the weekend.
She even channeled Rousey by copping a Holly Holm-like kick to the face from Williams which broke her nose and ended up being impossible to recover from in the fight at Bellator 185.
But after some intense media coverage following the embarrassing defeat, Hardy has taken to social media to reach out to fans and followers.
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"I’m sorry I let everyone down. I gave it my all out there, and I truly hope it showed. I’d rather lose then give y’all a boring fight because I appreciate every one of you… sponsors, coaches, friends, family and fans… and the worst part was knowing I couldn’t get the job done for all of you," Hardy wrote.
"Congrats to a game Kristina Williams, who had an answer for everything I tried. OSU!"
The former boxer also responded to speculation she could be quitting the sport after an unhappy venture into the Octagon.
"In case everyone is wondering, YES, I will be back,” she wrote.
"Nothing will ever take the fight out of me, not even this broken nose. I knew coming into this new world I was taking a big risk, and this is all part of my journey. You’ve all heard how resilient I am. Now watch me bounce back."
The doctor was forced to step in and stop the fight as Hardy's face looked an absolute mess, prompting some lively responses on Twitter.
Heather Hardy got lit up like a Christmas tree. Damn. #Bellator185 pic.twitter.com/WFyQi5ZsZp
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) October 21, 2017
Kristina Williams appears to have shattered Heather Hardy’s face with a kick to the face. Doctor stops it mid-way through the second. Hardy’s nose bleeding profusely. Gruesome stuff. Not the result Bellator wanted.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 21, 2017
My god, Heather Hardy's nose is COOKED. Kristina Williams wins!!!
— Sean Ross Sapp (@SeanRossSapp) October 21, 2017
Kristina Williams should grab some attention after that performance ... and Heather Hardy, wow. One sided loss but what heart.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 21, 2017
I figured Heather Hardy's downfall might be when a grappler took her to the mat. But Kristina Williams busted her up in standup. Impressive.
— Jeff Wagenheim (@jeffwagenheim) October 21, 2017
Another Bellator prospect suffers another loss. Bad matchmaking, Heather Hardy was clearly outmatched here. #Bellator185
— Danny Segura (@DannySeguraTV) October 21, 2017
Heather Hardy just now leaving the cage to a nice ovation. But man, Bellator goes 0-for-2 on the Hardy/Julaton setup.
— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) October 21, 2017
Hardy had a professional record of 20-0 in boxing.
It's not the only brutal defeat we've seen in the MMA world in recent times.