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 generou
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By all accounts, the bout will indeed go on. And Macfarlane will need to be at her best despite circumstances that have not been ideal. Velasquez, who is undefeated, is Macfarlane s toughest test to date. In fact, some sportsbooks have Velasquez as a slight favorite. Macfarlane acknowledges that this is the fight with the highest possibility of me actually losing the belt. I think she is physically very strong and intimidating and she just smells blood, Macfarlane said. She s a killer. I think she hits really hard, from what I ve watched on tape.
Macfarlane (11-0) has been with Bellator for five years and she s the only women s 125-pound champion the promotion has ever known, capturing the belt in November 2017. The Hawai i native has seven finishes in 10 Bellator wins. ESPN has Macfarlane ranked No. 2 in the world among female flyweights.