After working with brands like Bose and Disney amidst the pandemic, Janay “Hollowpoint” Harding is ready to put together a win streak that gets her into title contention, starting with Jessy Miele this Thursday at Bellator 251.
After having a high profile bout cancelled due to the pandemic, Janay “Hollowpoint” Harding is ready to get herself to title contention in the featherweight division. Cageside Press spoke with Harding about working with major brands like Disney and Bose during her hiatus from competition, her place in the title picture, and her fight with Jessy Miele this Thursday at Bellator 251.
.@Harding_Janay bounced back in her 2️⃣nd Bellator bout.
You can catch her 3️⃣rd tomorrow night during our ⏪ Event Rewind ⏪, brought to you by @cbdMD_USA.#AloneTogether pic.twitter.com/jWKbFdV8Z4— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 11, 2020
In March, Harding had been preparing for a high profile clash with Ireland’s Leah McCourt that was scheduled to take place in May. The fight was a key bout for both women as McCourt would be facing a top prospect while Harding would be facing one of the more familiar names in the division as McCourt has transitioned into working as an analyst on Bellator’s broadcasts in recent months. When the pandemic cancelled the bout, and McCourt subsequently underwent shoulder surgery, Harding was left to turn her attention elsewhere.
“Even when it was set up and announced and everything, I feel like I wasn’t 100% convinced [the McCourt fight] would happen. Just with everything that was going on, at that point the [the pandemic] was just kind of starting, and everything was getting on the rise. So it was almost expected that it was going to be cancelled but at the same time it was so devastating. I planned on my travel. I was ready to go and I really wanted to get back to the UK and kind of enjoy culture. It was a great match with someone like Leah. I guess since then, the other disappointing thing is that she has gotten surgery, which is obviously great for her but it does mean that fight kind of gets pushed back. So in the meantime, I’ve got this fight and then hopefully, we can bring that up for maybe early next year or the end of this year.”
With Bellator back from their hiatus and international travel more sorted out as the months wore on, “Hollowpoint” targeted an October date against former title challenger Olga Rubin at Bellator’s event in Italy. Unfortunately, visa issues on Rubin’s side kept the bout from materializing. Harding did stay ready with the expectation that she would be rebooked quickly, which happened when she was offered a fight with Jessy Miele at Thursday’s event. Though the fight was announced just last week, Harding says she has had roughly four weeks overall to prepare. While she is eager to return to the cage, Harding does reside in Australia which means she will join Robert Whittaker, Alexander Volkanovski, and the other fighters from Down Under who have had to go on a mandatory two week quarantine before they can return home.
“I’m not looking forward to it. But it’s not too bad. I guess I just have to kind of find out in the hotel room and do what we can do. I’ve got my PlayStation here in the US, I’ll take that into quarantine, probably go on Twitch a little bit more often. Because I’ll have a lot more time on my hands, I’m getting to play games that I bought before I left to come overseas that I haven’t been able to play yet because I’ve been busy with camp and everything. So that’ll kind of be the one positive, I’ll get to catch up on a lot of gaming. That’s for sure.”
While the fight does not leap off the page, it is very significant when looking at the Bellator featherweight division as a whole. At first glance, there are several names that figure to be ahead of Harding for the next shot at Cris Cyborg. That said, names like Julia Budd and Leslie Smith have already been dispatched by the current champion. Cat Zingano figures to be next, but the division is wide-open behind her and Harding could stand out if she has an impressive victory. The 26 year old is aware of the situation, but she has other plans before calling for the belt.
“I really don’t think my next fight will be a title shot. Like I said, with Leah [McCourt,] I would like to honor that fight later. And I think so would she as well. So those are kind of like my next two match-ups in the pipeline. But definitely after that within the next four or five fights I’m really looking towards that title shot, or at least to contention, where it kind of is a little bit more clear of who is the number one contender and who can kind of fight for it. I definitely say that a lot of people have not realized how many fights I have had in this division comparison to others. So I’m really hoping that, in these next few fights, I’ll be able to show that I am in clear contention for the title.”
Looking to Mulan for inspiration in my next fight as I stay loyal to my team around me, brave in the face of adversity and true to my ultimate goal of world championship gold.
Channelling my inner Mulan warrior by attempting this awesome Chinese martial arts move she pulls. Can’t wait to watch all her epic fight scenes in the new reimagining out tomorrow!
Watch Disney’s #Mulan streaming only on @DisneyPlusAU with Premier Access from September 4th! Additional fee applies.
@DisneyAUNZ #DisneyPlus #LoyalBraveTrue #DisneyPartner
While the pandemic has not been easy on any fighter, it has provided opportunities for Harding. For one, her campaign with Bose headphones stands out as one of the best endorsements seen for a young prospect in all of mixed martial arts. She followed that up by working with Disney as part of the promotional campaign for the remake of Mulan.
“I’ve been super blessed, especially during this whole time when everything was up in the air and nobody really knew what was happening to get these opportunities and to link with these great brands. It’s sort of just given me the confidence to know that the way I’ve sort of set my brand and the way I kind of went about things from the from the get-go has kind of paid off now and and people are really recognizing my credibility and just my other ability to be multifaceted and and for that reason, like I’m so happy to sort of represent what I do. Hopefully just go from here and just keep, keep hitting up more opportunities and doing more things. Both things especially were a lot like learning in a very foreign language, kind of like old showbiz industry that I have not kind of dabbled in that much. I’ve done photo shoots, but nothing to that caliber. And I guess now I have that experience under my belt. I’m so happy to have done that with such high level brands.”
Her pursuit of the title aside, Harding’s work to grow as a brand alongside her fighting career has been a point of pride. Whether it be committing time to the business side, or working with the gym photographer to get content for her social media accounts, Harding’s investment has paid dividends and she has plenty of knowledge and advice to share with other up-and-coming fighters about growing their brands outside the cage.
“I think my main thing is always one sticking to your ethics, never sacrificing ethics for I guess the opportunity of things like fame and followers and that kind of thing. Eventually that kind of stuff will grow. If you just put intention out there and you put honors and evidence and whatever you do, like I always find that it doesn’t matter if you want to be like the best McDonald’s worker in the world, just as long as you put 100% in it, good things will come back towards you.. So for that reason, stick to your guns, put the work in behind the scenes, worry about your social media, worry about your brand and set intentions for where you want to go later on and eventually all those opportunities will just come during your journey. And that’s kind of what I found and what I’ve been lucky enough to now manifest and hopefully other people can do that too.”
Before she steps into the Bellator cage for the first time tonight, meet Australia's @harding_janay. Watch the full video 👉 https://t.co/0oC2iymipg #Bellator199 pic.twitter.com/qU8FOh7Sth
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) May 12, 2018
Harding’s opponent Jessy “The Widowmaker” Miele is looking to use the fight as a springboard as well. The Connecticut native recently had a four fight win-streak snapped by former champion Julia Budd and she is hoping that a win over a prospect like Harding will propel her back to match ups that could secure her a title shot. On making the switch from preparing for Olga Rubin to Jessy Miele, Harding said:
“Jessy was probably a better stylistically a better matchup for the things that I do well, by comparison. So it was sort of just going back to my roots, going back to the things that I’m good at. an a couple more things that we already were doing luckily. So, it wasn’t too bad. I’ve been really lucky to I’ve got a good team behind me, that we’ve come up with some good strategies and really work them consistently over the last four weeks.”
Janay Harding takes on Jessy Miele this Thursday at Bellator 251: Manhoef vs Anderson. Her Bellator 251 media day appearance, separate from the interview above, can be viewed below.
