Veronica Hardy Embraces Living In The Moment

“That's life,” she laughs, and she’s right. That reality doesn’t mean she isn’t enjoying this moment, though, as she returned from a three-year layoff in 2023 to run off back-to-back victories over Juliana Miller and Jamey-Lyn Horth that have her on the verge of a Top 15 ranking at 125 pounds should she get by Aldrich this weekend.   

“It's hard not to enjoy it,” she said. “Being in New York, no matter how sore, how tired, how whatever you feel, you’re still walking in the streets of Manhattan, and it's not that bad. So that certainly helps, just the feel, the energy of the city and the people around you. How can you not enjoy it? It just brings this different level of love to what you're doing and this different level of strength to overcome things.”

View Hardy's Athlete Profile

Hardy has overcome a lot, both in and out of the Octagon, and whether it was concussion issues, chronic fatigue or a 1-4 start to her UFC career, she’s fought hard to get back here. And now that she’s here – and at the young age of 28, no less – she’s embracing it and not looking too far past Saturday.

“It's great to be on a two-fight win streak, but I've been on a two-fight losing streak, so I know both sides to the coin,” she said. “And every fighter that you face is difficult and if you don't approach it correctly, it just shatters in your face. So, for me, it's just about being present in the opportunities that I have, because having three years on the sidelines has also helped me appreciate how cool it is to do this and to be physically able to do it.”

So while the training days are hard, Hardy and her husband, former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy, have made time for bagels, a trip to the Lego store and even some unexpected train trips uptown. 

And no talk of getting into the title conversation and bringing a belt home to Nottingham.

Order UFC 302: Makhachev vs Poirier

“I'm just so grateful to be able to train with the people that I am and to be able to have this day-to-day life where I'm living my dream, which is getting better and becoming a better version of myself. I feel like whatever comes will come, and my focus has to be on preparing myself for it. Because life happens. You can be well on your way and then you have a big injury, or you pick up a loss and then it spirals down and you spend so much time thinking about 20 moves ahead that you are not focused on the now. And you don't get to enjoy it. I feel like what will bring out the best version of myself is to be present in the moment and to take every fight and every opponent as seriously as they deserve to be taken, because they're there for a reason.”

That maturity is rare, especially in someone who hasn’t reached 30 yet. But Hardy has lived a lot more life in 28 years than most twice her age, and that’s brought her to a place where she can be more mature than us old folks. 

“I feel that before the break, I was a bit in the moment, but not in a positive way,” Hardy said. “I was just trying to get through the moment instead of being present and enjoying the moment and learning and evolving. I was just in a different place in my life, as well. That didn't make it very easy for me to see anything past getting through the day, whether that was with things around me that were out of my control or whether it was injuries or whatever that was. And then I feel the time off has helped me understand myself better, understand the things that I like to do and how I learn better and how I want to live my life. I also learned that I'll still have people around me that love me regardless of the results that I have. They're just there to support me and to be along for the journey. Having those people around you is important because not everybody is going to feel that way and, fair enough, but just go feel that way with other people and not with me.”

Hardy laughs, but gets serious again when I point out how many people outside of her inner circle appear to be in her corner during this comeback. She appreciates that support and it means a lot to her.

MORE ST. LOUIS: Buckley Comes Home | Hooper Interview | Baby Shark Interview | Tecia Pennington Interview | Derrick Lewis Interview | Rodrigo Nascimento Interview

“I really have felt that,” she said. “And it's been something so magical because it's felt so genuine. I genuinely see people that are happy for me and, well, I don't know what I've done to deserve that from them.”

Uh, being a good human being is a start, and Mrs. Hardy has that covered.

“Some days, to feel that amount of love and the amount of energy, that gives me so much to just push on a day-to-day basis to make everybody proud because they love and they care for me, and it's genuine, and that's a beautiful feeling,” Hardy continues. “And it's not like, ‘People are behind you just because you're popular’ or whatever it is. It just feels like a true connection and that's so special. That's even more special than the fight itself.”