Heather Hardy says leaps and bounds improvement will be on display at Bellator 185

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Heather Hardy’s pro MMA debut earlier this summer was a much-heralded one thanks to her unbeaten run as a women’s boxing champion.

And her fight against Alice Yauger at Bellator 180 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, not far from her Brooklyn home, didn’t disappoint the fans, even if Hardy wasn’t exactly thrilled with it. The 35-year-old gave herself a C+ grade for the third-round TKO in what was a blood-soaked thriller.

“The first one, I didn’t know what to expect,” Hardy told MMAjunkie on Wednesday ahead of her second pro fight at Bellator 185. “It was like, ‘I’m going to try to gloss over everything and hope for the best.’ It was a great outcome. The end of that fight, you couldn’t script it any better.

“… I had a lot of fine-tuning to do, and it’s much easier for me (now) to focus in on what I need to do to get ahead in this sport.”

Hardy (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) fights Kristina Williams (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a flyweight fight on the main card. Bellator 185 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Hardy’s deal with Bellator gives her the freedom to put the MMA gloves away to take boxing matches when the opportunities are right. She’s 20-0 as a pro boxer and is the WBC’s international women’s featherweight champion. There likely will be more boxing on the horizon, but for now Hardy is focusing in on making improvements in the cage.

“I’m a different fighter right now – you’re seeing a different Heather Hardy,” she said. “I went through this in my boxing career because I started late and I had to catch up. I’m doing the same thing now: I started late, had my first one, got out OK, but we’re going into this one much smarter, much stronger, and way more prepared.

“… From here, you’ll see me get three times better before my next fight.”

Hardy’s nickname is “The Heat,” and there’s some heat already on a potential next fight after her bout with Williams. Joining her on Bellator 185’s main card is another pro boxer who is fairly new to the MMA game. ONE Championship vet Ana Julaton (2-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes her promotional debut at flyweight against Lisa Blaine (1-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

There is a rivalry quickly building between the two, and after some Julaton comments to a British newspaper, Hardy now is convinced there’s no more dancing around it. She believes they’re destined to fight. Maybe it’ll be in the Bellator cage. Maybe it’ll be in the ring. Maybe it’ll be both, to hear Julaton talk about it.

But before Hardy can truly think about that fight, she has to beat Williams and prove she’s made the leaps she says she has. And Julaton has to beat Blaine. And while Williams isn’t on the radar screen the way Hardy is, she said there’s no taking her lightly.

“I’m prepared for a killer,” Hardy said of her opponent this week. “I have the big-stage experience. I’ve done the Garden, I’ve done the Barclays Center (in Brooklyn), I’ve done the Olympic training. I’ve done huge things. But she has the MMA experience and the ground experience and the kicking experience. So I didn’t take this kid lightly at all.”

Check out the video above for more from Hardy ahead of her fight. Below, catch up on her budding rivalry with Julaton.

And for more on Bellator 185, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.