Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] has a date and opponent for her Bellator debut.
McMann will take on veteran and former Bellator title challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout at Bellator 294. The event is part of a two-night series set to go down on April 21 and April 22, which marks Bellator’s return to Hawaii.
News of the matchup was announced Wednesday by the promotion.
Both Bellator 294 and Bellator 295 go down at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.
McMann (13-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was last seen in action in March, when she defeated Karol Rosa by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 33. That was her only fight in 2022. McMann was scheduled to make a return in two other separate occasions in 2022, one in August and the other in September, against Aspen Ladd, but both bouts fell through due to Ladd’s weight-cutting issues. Following the cancelations, McMann was released from her final fight of her UFC contract, and she signed with Bellator shortly after.
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Additionally on that card, a heavyweight matchup between [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] will serve as the co-main event. Johnson (15-9 MMA, 3-5 BMMA) looks to snap a three-fight losing streak. His last win came against Cheick Kongo back in 2020. Sowma (8-4 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) looks to snap a losing streak himself as he lost his two most recent bouts.
Bellator 295 also saw an addition to its lineup. Former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] returns against top contender [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag].
Both fighters look to build momentum and turn it into streaks as Macfarlane (12-2 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) is coming off a decision win over Bruna Ellen last August, while Watanabe (11-1-1MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is on the heels of a submission finish over Denise Kielholtz last May.
Below are the updated lineups for both Bellator 294 and Bellator 295:
Bellator 294
- Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett
- Tim Johnson vs. Said Sowma
- Arlene Blencowe vs. Sara McMann
Bellator 295
- Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix
- Adil Edwards vs. Kai Kamaka III
- Charlie Leary vs. Yancy Medeiros
- Keoni Diggs vs. Weber Almeida
- Sumiko Inaba vs. Veta Arteaga
- Bobby King vs. Aalon Cruz
- Davion Franklin vs. Kasim Aras