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True to her name, Heather Hardy is rebuilding

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They are not like us, we must constantly remind ourselves of this to give them the respect and respect they deserve.

Boxers and fighters enter the ring or cage with an awareness, yes, perhaps dulled by excessive optimism, which is a necessary insulation against the fear that they may be seriously injured, God forbid, or perhaps even fatally, during a fight.

On October 20, in a cage set up in Connecticut and on national television, Heather Hardy underwent an impromptu rhinoplasty in recognition of a wicked and quick roundhouse kick delivered by opponent Kristina Williams. Hardy’s nose was seemingly smashed; the blood was flowing profusely and urgently… but she barely blinked and kept on pounding.

A judge stepped in to take the single Brooklyn mom to see a doctor, who recommended stopping her second mixed martial arts fight. Two minutes after the second round, the batter, who is 20-0 (with 4 knockouts) as a boxer fighting under the DiBella Entertainment banner, had a record of 1-1 in MMA.

IS HER CAREER OVER?

Those around her, as well as her huge fan base who had come to worship her as a role model in dealing with the obstacles that life and fate threw at her, were worried about her. Was her career in ruins like that nose looked? Would she need reconstructive surgery from the “Kick Heard ‘Round the World,” as she shockingly understatedly joked a few days after the cession… and would she be able to keep fighting after that?

Turns out the nose held up better than feared…broken, yes, but in pieces, no. So she set about healing… to go through a period of patience, allowing nature and the miracle of regeneration to work. No contact, the doctors said, until we had full information. And after a few months, the doctor agreed. You can spar, lady, great opportunity.

On Wednesday morning at the notable and legendary Gleason’s Gym, Hardy’s home boxing base run by benevolent patriarch Bruce Silverglade, Hardy laced up her gloves, swallowed challenging and put herself in a situation that could have resulted in a major defeat at nearly 36 -a girl who has managed to accelerate her achievements to the point where she is one step away from returning them.

“I sparred,” Hardy told me later that day. “With Ronika Jeffrey and Melissa St-vil. At Gleason’s! I was more worried about my nose than I had ever been about my face,” she said with a laugh. “I was nervous before and I wasn’t worried about getting hurt. We scheduled sparring last week because we had just passed the six-week no-contact mark. Melissa has a fight in February and will start training, and the tentative fight date is approaching, so I had to check my nose and see how it held up, see what it would be like to breathe through the mouthpiece, and see how I would react to it touching my face. And I didn’t quite cope, fighting two world boxing champions as my first spar!”

I asked her to talk about the actual depth of fear – or nerves – or whatever you have.

WHY WORRY?

“I was concerned that potential shifting, swelling, bruising or breathing issues could potentially delay my training and next fight. But everything was fine and I got one or two shots in the nose. I’m sure next Wednesday I’ll do my first MMA sparring, lithe sparring, and since I got back to the gym in November, I’ve just been practicing drills and working on my technique.

Warriors are not like us, my friends. And that’s why they deserve recognition and respect for what they do.

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MMA

Demetrious Johnson equaled Anderson Silva’s UFC title defense record

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by Kendrick E. Johnson |

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended his flyweight title at UFC “Fight Night Kansas City,” looking to stop challenger Wilson Reis and make UFC history.

After beating Reis from the opening bell and submitting him via armbar at 4:49 of the third round, Johnson did exactly what he wanted. With this victory, Johnson has now won 12 straight fights, but more importantly, it is his 10th defense of the UFC flyweight title, tying Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.

The spectacular, historic victory left Johnson more placid and reserved than usual after the fight.

“GSP, Anderson, they are great champions, but I am the best champion that has ever stepped foot in this Octagon,” Johnson said. “I finish off all my opponents. There is no other champion who can mix it all, fight, punch and clinch like me.

Johnson scored the victory by punching and softening Reis while staying out of danger first. The champion then took him to the ground, pounded him some more, and then delivered a neat submission to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

Going from a full mount to an armbar submission faster than anyone else in the UFC to end the event, “Mighty Mouse” showed why he’s considered the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world today.

“It was a damn good night,” Johnson said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “It’s probably the best training camp I’ve ever had, and my head coach kept telling me, ‘Just be yourself.’ I came back and did a lot of things differently at this camp and it was the best effort I’ve ever felt.

Even if people like UFC president Dana White call him the “GOAT” of the UFC, putting his name first alongside Silva, who ruled the middleweight division and pound-for-pound rankings from 2006-2013. Johnson remains focused on taking his division and legacy to heights never before seen in MMA.

“I’m like any champion, whether it’s a team sport like the Michael Jordan Bulls or something like the UFC, I want to win as many championships as possible,” Johnson said at the post-fight news conference. I’ve got 10 title defenses now and I can take this belt home and hopefully next time I can break through and maybe I can get 13 or 14 titles, so why not set the bar high. Just like Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, I’m the fastest man in mixed martial arts, so I’m going to continue to prove that and hopefully set the record at 15 years and then I can retire.

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Max Holloway is on a mission at UFC 212

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by Kendrick E. Johnson |

Even with 10 consecutive wins inside the Octagon, UFC interim featherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway never had the opportunity to fight for the undisputed championship.

That will all change on Saturday when Holloway faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a unification fight at UFC 212 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This will be only the second time in his career that Holloway will headline a pay-per-view card, but he is extremely confident of entering enemy territory in pursuit of his lifelong dream.

“I’ve been in the spotlight in my career, I’ve had a five-round fight outside the UFC and I’m ready for anything,” Holloway said during a recent conference call.

“I’m just ready to show the world what I’m about and why I’m the best fighter in this division.”

“Blessed” has finished seven opponents in his 10-fight winning streak, including a TKO over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to become interim champion.

Holloway and Aldo are two of the best all-around strikers in MMA today, but there aren’t many other similarities both inside and outside the Octagon. What they have in common, however, is that their last defeat came against UFC’s most recognizable star, “Notorious” Conor McGregor.

For Holloway, losing to McGregor four years ago was a good thing. He regrouped, became a more complete fighter and put together one of the greatest winning streaks in UFC history.

However, despite his incredible success at the championship level over the past few years, the UFC has been reluctant to put its hype machine behind Holloway, much to the surprise of many in the media and fans.

Even with this lack of pressure, Holloway is very excited to reign supreme in a division that has only had two undisputed champions in its compact history.

“I just can’t wait to do the damn thing; get in there and fight one of the best of all time,” Holloway said. “He is one of the greatest in our sport, but it is time for a up-to-date era.”

“I have been an underdog my whole life. I do not care. I shouldn’t be here. Max Holloway shouldn’t be talking to any of you. I shouldn’t be here. It is what it is. “Actions speak louder than words, and I have done many things.”

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MMA

Amanda Nunes withdraws from UFC 213 title fight

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by Kendrick E. Johnson |

After being hospitalized hours earlier, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been withdrawn from her UFC 213 main event bout against top-ranked Valentina Shevchenko, UFC president Dana White confirmed.

The report of Nunes’ illness and withdrawal was first revealed by mmafighting.com’s Ariel Helwani. White told LA Times writer Lance Pugmire via text message: “I don’t know why Nunes (14-4) withdrew from the card after being examined by a doctor.

“The doctor cleared her to fight. She said she wasn’t feeling well,” White said. “It is what it is. You can’t force anyone to fight.”

Now, the scheduled co-main event fight for the interim middleweight title between Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero and Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker will be upgraded to main event status at UFC 213. The fresh co-main event will be a heavyweight fight between the former champion Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem, who will fight for the title of number 1 contender to champion Stipe Miocic.

Many commented on how exhausted Nunes looked, as fighters often do, at the official weigh-in on Friday morning around 10 a.m. PST. It must be admitted that in her nine-year MMA career, “The Lioness” has never officially made weight or withdrawn from a fight due to weight loss problems, until today.

The fight will likely be postponed soon. Bob Bennett of the Nevada State Athletic Commission said Nunes had problems beyond the weakness resulting from the weight cut that led to her withdrawal.

Meanwhile, undefeated women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk spent Saturday morning “begging White to fight via text messages and social media.” Jedrzejczyk last fought at UFC 211 in May and plans to fight in November at UFC 217, but she was in town for International Fight Week and told White she would face Shevchencko.

Much to the disappointment of fans and the media, the strawweight champion has no chance of fighting tonight because medical tests and other clearances require a little longer before the NSAC will clear her. So everyone has to hold on tight to see how this story unfolds over the next few days

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