Sticks and stones may break my bones but psychos with AK-47 machine guns will always hurt me.
I think most female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters understand that at some point in their respective combat sports careers, they’re going to be harassed by creepy, unbalanced fight fans, or perhaps get the occasional dick pic.
Hey, I’m a complete nobody and I get my fair share of harassers, so I cannot imagine what some of the more popular female athletes have been forced to endure.
That’s why Heather Hardy is back on social media to share some of the negative, hateful comments pouring in after “The Heat” suffered a technical knockout loss at Bellator 222 last weekend in New York City.
“The hardest part of that loss, is knowing that there were so many people out there who enjoyed watching me lose,” the undefeated boxer wrote on Twitter. “I see you all, with your negative, hateful comments. I don’t respond, but they sit with me. I’m just a regular mom trying my best. I’m just doing the best I can for Annie.”
Hardy previously told MMA Junkie that she received death threats in the wake of her Bellator 194 victory over Ana Julaton, which came billed as a battle of strikers, but was instead decided by grappling exchanges.
“I was crying the next day,” Hardy said. “I had to put my social media down. I got better feedback from when that girl broke my face than I did with the boring jiu-jitsu fight. I insulted the masses. All the fans hated it. They were sending me death threats.”
I’ve been pretty outspoken about what rights fans inherit when the purchase the product, be it pay-per-view (PPV), streaming service, or live event ticket. If you’re unhappy with what you paid for, then go ahead and be vocal about it.
But stick to the facts (your conditioning sucked, you gave up too many takedowns, etc.), otherwise you’re not a fan with a legitimate grievance, you’re just an asshole.
Don’t we have enough of those already?