Leah McCourt and Janay Harding at Bellator 259 Media Day
Bellator 259 goes Friday, May 21st and is headlined by Cyborg vs Smith II. The latest Bellator MMA event broadcasts on Showtime and emanates from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Below are excerpts from my interactions with ranked featherweights Leah McCourt and Janay Harding who do battle with one another on this card.
Leah McCourt and Janay Harding
Leah McCourt
I had noticed on Instagram there, a bit of a hidden kind of situation in the suitcase there. A nice card from your daughter Isabella.
I’m wondering how much motivation that gives you heading into this one? Because that definitely made me smile seeing that.
“She breaks my heart and anybody that asks me about her, I just start crying. But she is my biggest motivation obviously. We’ve grown up together. I had her so young and we are just such a team. I’m just trying to make her proud and provide a better life for her. And that’s why I’m here.”
Janay Harding
The last time we spoke, you were still getting in at work at King’s Academy of Martial Arts. You were mentioning some of the people you were sparring with…Who are you getting in that work with ahead of this one?
“Yeah, that is my main gym. In a sense, that’s sort of my base. Especially due to the facilities and the team that’s there. The good thing is that it’s like our Kings team moves around together. So we do sort of jump around from that Kings down to a different area. But all with the same people. So it’s sort of like our base.”
“Definitely, I spend at least like four days a week there, and then the rest of the days just moving around like strength and conditioning and boxing at a different MMA gym which is great. But yeah, it’s been fantastic. Elvis Sinosic as you know, the owner of King’s Academy, the facilities and everything he provides us there is phenomenal. That’s my main sparring gym as well. So it’s been great.”
