Bellator are banking on Heather Hardy to become one of the promotion's biggest stars.
Hardy has something of an unconventional deal insofar as she is being allowed to compete as both a professional boxer and a professional mixed martial artist and, having yet to taste defeat in either discipline, huge things are expected of the 'The Heat'.
The 35-year-old made her professional MMA debut in June and stopped her opponent, Alice Yauger, in the third round.
Hardy will take to the Bellator cage for a second time on Friday night, when she meets Kristina Williams, but she almost had another opponent to contend with on Thursday at the weigh-ins.
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As Hardy took to the scales in Connecticut in her signature leotard, she was approached by what initially appeared to be a heckling fan.
But it turns out that there was more to it as the woman who shouted abuse in Hardy's direction was none other than Shelly Vincent, the boxer who Hardy beat last year in a fight for the WBC International female featherweight title.
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Security fortunately intervened and held Vincent back while Hardy laughed at the disturbance to her face-off.
"I’m completely focused on my opponent right now and keeping my undefeated record wherever I fight," Hardy told
MMA Fighting.
"Besides, that was just one of my obsessed fans."
