Bellator 254 results: Juliana Velasquez takes flyweight title from Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
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Juliana Velasquez is the new Bellator flyweight champion after a tactical five-round fight against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane in the headliner of Bellator 254 on Thursday.
Velasquez earned scores of 48-47 twice and 49-46 for largely shutting down Macfarlane’s takedown game and countering the champ’s charges with heavier, more accurate punches. The 34-year-old Brazilian is the second 125-pound champion in the ViacomCBS-owned promotion’s history.
“This is like a gold medal I didn’t win in judo,” Velasquez said afterward via translator.
Velasquez size advantage was noticeable from the outset of the action at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. But the majority of damage done to Macfarlane came from a flying knee that connected at the end of the third round, and a clash off a takedown left a razor-thin cut across the camp’s brow. The injuries bled generously, giving Macfarlane another opponent as she struggled to hit and keep down her foe.