Plenty of hype surrounded Heather Hardy’s return to the Bellator cage, but Kristina Williams squashed the talk with a decisive TKO victory at Bellator 185.
Heather Hardy became an overnight sensation in MMA back at Bellator 180 in New York thanks to a gutsy performance in her first outing in the sport. A multiple-time boxing champion, Hardy stepped from the ring to the octagon to go where the money is, after a slow start, came back to finish opponent Alice Yauger in the third.
At the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, on Friday, Hardy returned to the Bellator cage for her sophomore outing, facing the debuting Kristina Williams. Could Hardy repeat the success of her initial foray into the sport?
Both girls went right at it early, trading hard shots and vicious kicks. Williams seemed to be looking to make a statement to those who might have overlooked her coming into the bout, and displayed crisp kicks, shots, and even threw in a spinning back kick. Hardy, however, answered back and stayed cool under fire. Soon, however, Hardy was bloodied, as she continually ate high kicks. Even those that Hardy blocked would seem to do damage; she would fire back with combos, kicks of her own, and even a spinning back fist, but Williams was more than holding her own.
In the second, Williams continued to use her reach to keep Hardy on the outside. Hardy was once again caught by a huge head kick while leaning forward throwing a left. That clearly did more damage to her already injured nose, her face a bloody mask. She would fight on, but not long after, the ref called in the doctor. He’d wave it off, and Williams had the upset.
Kristina Williams def. Heather Hardy by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 2:00
