First and foremost Ardra Hernandez is a lady: She’s a mother and a very confident woman. And then she is a fighter—a Mexican fighter with the unconquerable fighting spirit for which the great Mexican fighters are known.
At 5 feet, 2 inches, Hernandez typically walks around at 116 pounds. For her first K-1 fight, on August 11, at the Bellagio, she weighed in at 112.
She had prepared hard for the night. She’d had eight years of Muay Thai training under Master Toddy here in Las Vegas, and she’d had 13 professional fights—with 12 victories and two TKOs—under her belt. She’d already become accustomed to the big stage during the taping of this summer’s popular television show on the Oxygen network, Fight Girls, in which she was a star. She had, as part of the show’s finale, traveled to Thailand in her last fight, and won. And she’d been training harder than ever for her K-1 debut.
Her opponent was Van Milnes, an experienced san shou kickboxer trained by the legendary Cung Le.
Before the fight, Hernandez said: “I’m thinking about my family. I have a ton of people watching me, and I think it makes me more excited but not nervous—if anything, it makes me more confident, and it makes me want to do my best. I know my mother’s praying for me because she always does. I’m worrying about what I’m going to go out there and do—never what she’s going to do. I’m visualizing. I’m visualizing what I’m going to do, and I’m visualizing my hand being raised at the end of the fight.”
There were, in fact, more than 50 of Hernandez’s family and friends sitting together in the Bellagio Ballroom, and they cheered for her with the thunder of 5,000, which was the approximate attendance at the big K-1 event. Hernandez lives in Las Vegas.
When she left her team in her corner to start the first round, she felt confident. Not only because she is an experienced and prepared fighter, but also because of her relationship with God. “I don’t feel alone in the ring,” she says.
Milnes came at her with a flurry. Hernandez thought, Oh shit. But she showed no fear. She engaged right back. She looked fearless and focused.
She, however, got beat to the strike more often than not. Milnes scored points on the three judges’ scorecards and won the round. Hernandez didn’t feel she was aggressive enough.
In the second round she busted Milnes in the nose. The center of Milnes’ face turned bright red and would remain so for the remainder of the fight. Hernandez’s supporters were loud. The round was close but the judges gave it to Milnes.
On her stool, Hernandez couldn’t believe two rounds had already gone by. She hadn’t been doing what she envisioned doing. She came out in the third and landed the more telling blows, with her punches, with her kicks and with her knees. But, again, all three judges gave the round to Milnes. Who thus won by unanimous decision.
After the fight, Hernandez said: “I didn’t do my best. I don’t know why. It was an off night for me.
“I’m looking back at it, and it’s all so surreal and fuzzy—I can’t distinguish round from round, it happened so quick. It’s a rude awakening for me. This is only the second time I’ve ever lost. I’m on fire right now. All I want to do is fight again.”
She will, Lord willing.