4 burning questions heading into Bellator 239

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head picks out four notable storylines to follow through fight night at Bellator 239.

Is Denise Kielholtz ready for a flyweight title push?

Dutch flyweight [autotag]Denise Kielholtz[/autotag]’s transition from kickboxing to MMA has been impressive to watch so far in her Bellator career. Now “Miss Dynamite” stands on the cusp of a breakthrough moment.

Kielholtz (4-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) has been developing her MMA skills under the bright lights of the Bellator cage, and her only defeat since joining the promotion came against title challenger Veta Arteaga back in September 2018.

But Kielholtz has bounced back superbly from that setback and heads into Thackerville riding a two-fight win streak, with her most recent display producing an impressive submission finish of fellow striker Sabriye Sengul at Bellator Europe 6 in London in November 2019.

She’ll take on “Warhorse” [autotag]Kristina Williams[/autotag], who has wins over boxing star Heather Hardy and Brazilian prospect Bruna Ellen on her record. She’s also shown her ability to take seasoned opposition the distance, as evidenced by her decision loss to former UFC women’s strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau.

In short, Williams (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) should prove a stern test of Kielholtz’s growing MMA credentials, and should act as an ideal audition for the Dutch starlet to prove her worth as a potential title challenger in the next 12-18 months.

Victory over Williams would prove that she’s getting closer to the division’s best names, but Williams will see “Miss Dynamite” as a tempting scalp to claim as she looks to build her own resume in an exciting division in 2020.