Even coming off a loss, Hardy’s comeback has been a pleasant
surprise. Hardy was particularly raw when the UFC picked her up as
a late-notice replacement in 2016. She was a career martial artist
but only months into her professional mixed martial arts career.
Hardy then spent about half a decade learning on the job, showing
flashes of potential while mostly suffering loss after loss, until
she quietly went into semi-retirement thanks to some lingering
concussion issues. After three years out of action, Hardy returned
with a new game and a new name, owing to her marriage to former
welterweight title contender Dan Hardy that
has also seemed to pay off inside the cage. Hardy’s now a much more
relaxed and focused fighter, leveraging her speed to make up for a
lack of size and adopting a striking-based approach. Hardy has
flagged late in her fights but managed to coast past some solid
competition before dropping her last bout to Eduarda
Moura in November. She now attempts to rebound against Walker.
The 36-year-old Walker’s appearance comes as a bit of a surprise,
as she essentially dropped off the radar after a loss to Iasmin
Lucindo roughly two and a half years ago. Walker had a solid
regional career prior to her 2022 stint on “The Ultimate Fighter,”
with a win over an early-career Miranda
Maverick standing out as her best result. Since coming off the
show, Walker seemingly has yet to find a skill that works against
better or more powerful athletes. Walker has had issues against
pressure, so from that standpoint, Hardy’s sniping style is
probably a better matchup than most. Still, it’s hard to see her
tracking Hardy down over the course of three rounds. The pick is
Hardy via decision.
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