Bellator 236 – Page 8 – Syndication Server

Bellator 236: Raufeon Stots media day interview

Bellator 236 pre-event facts: A.J. McKee out to continue record winning streak

Check out the key facts and figures about Bellator 236, which takes place Saturday with a Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson main event.

The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader takes place Saturday with Bellator 236, which goes down at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A flyweight championship fight headlines the card. Hawaii’s own [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) looks to defend her belt on home soil for the second consecutive year when she meets top contender [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA).

For more on the main card, which also features the first bout in the second round of the organization’s featherweight grand prix, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 236.

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Main event

Macfarlane became the inaugural Bellator flyweight champion when she defeated Emily Ducote at Bellator 186 in November 2017.

Macfarlane’s three consecutive Bellator title defenses are tied with Patricio Freire (featherweight) and Julia Budd (women’s featherweight) for most among current champions.

Macfarlane competes in her 10th Bellator flyweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.

Macfarlane’s nine Bellator victories are most among female fighters in the organization.

Macfarlane’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak is the second longest active streak in the organization behind A.J. McKee (15).

Macfarlane’s nine-fight Bellator winning streak in the longest among female fighters in the organization.

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Macfarlane’s seven stoppage victories in Bellator competition are most among female fighters in the organization.

Macfarlane’s seven stoppage victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Macfarlane’s five-fight stoppage streak in Bellator competition is the longest among active fighters in the company.

Macfarlane’s six submission victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Jackson’s two-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Macfarlane (nine) and Juliana Velasquez (four).

Co-main event

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) competes in his 16th Bellator featherweight bout, tied for the second most appearances in divisional history behind Patricio Freire (20).

McKee’s 15-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.

McKee’s 15-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.

McKee’s 15-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.

McKee’s 15 victories in Bellator competition are tied for third most in company history behind Freire (18) and Michael Chandler (16).

McKee’s 15 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Freire (17).

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McKee’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are third most in company history behind Freire (11) and Chandler (11).

McKee’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with Freire for most in divisional history.

McKee’s six knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with Freire for most in divisional history.

McKee’s eight-second knockout victory at Bellator 228 is the fourth fastest in Bellator history. Three fighters are tied with a seven-second win.

McKee’s four submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with Freire for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 9-7 BMMA) is 1-1 since he dropped to the featherweight division in December 2018.

Campos has earned six of his nine Bellator victories by decision.

Remaining main card

[autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-8-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA), 38, is the oldest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.

Kunimoto is 2-1 since his final UFC appearance in June 2017.

[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag]’s (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) four-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind champion Macfarlane (nine).

Velasquez’s four victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (nine).

Velasquez’s three stoppage victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Macfarlane (seven).

Velasquez’s two knockout victories in Bellator flyweight competition are tied with Jackson for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) has earned four of her five career victories by decision. That includes all three of her Bellator wins.

[autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), 20, is the youngest of the 12 scheduled main card fighters.

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Bellator 236: Jason Jackson media day interview

Bellator 236: Derek Campos media day interview

Video: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s Bellator 236 open workout was a full-length hula dance

Rather than go through the same ol’/same ol’, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane decided to change some things up at her Bellator 236 open workout.

HONOLULU – Rather than go through the same ol’/same ol’, [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] decided to change some things up at her Bellator 236 open workout session Wednesday.

But she had to pivot when Bellator 235 headliner Josh Barnett went through his workout just before her. Barnett pulled off an impromptu pro wrestling match with workout partner Erik Hammer, and it included Hammer being thrown off the stage, both men being thrown into floor coolers filled with ice, and a folding chair.

So Macfarlane decided that instead of doing a yoga flow for her workout, she instead would give fans a taste of Hawaiian culture. The Honolulu native decided a full-length hula dance was the way to go.

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“This is spur of the moment – this is unplanned. I’m going to do a hula for my open workout. Welcome to the islands. Thank you for coming,” Macfarlane said. “This hula is called ‘Papalina Lahilahi,’ and it’s a hula about dainty cheeks. You can interpret that however you want, but I tend to gauge my weight cut and how much weight I need to lose and what I weigh based on my cheeks. As you can see, they’re very prominent right now, so I’m super close to weight.”

Macfarlane (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) puts her women’s flyweight title on the line Saturday against Kate Jackson (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in the main event at Bellator 236, which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the video above, check out Macfarlane’s full hula dance just off the beach and the Pacific Ocean in Honolulu.

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Bellator 236: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s open workout was a full hula dance

Kate Jackson surprised she got title shot against Ilima-lei Macfarlane at Bellator 236

Kate Jackson explains why she was caught off guard by her title shot offer against Ilima-lei Macfarlane at Bellator 236.

HONOLULU — [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] didn’t expect to be fighting for Bellator gold.

The British fighter challenges women’s flyweight champion Ilima-lei MacFarlane on Saturday in the Bellator 236 main event in Honolulu. But despite being on a two-fight winning streak and 4-1 in her past five bouts, Jackson (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) didn’t think she’d be the one fighting the champ next at 125-pounds.

“I knew if I was offered that fight (with Macfarlane) it would be here because they were looking at a December Hawaii show. But actually, initially I was more surprised than excited,” Jackson told MMA Junkie after a Wednesday workout. “I thought maybe I’d have one more fight before this one. But yeah, once it sunk in, I found my manager just after a training session and he said, ‘Are you ready to do five five-minute rounds?’ And I was like, ‘Wow – that means I got the title shot, then.’ And once it sunk in, I was definitely excited. My coach was over the moon instantly, but I needed to let it sink in for a bit.”

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Although Jackson didn’t think a title shot would be coming her way, she does think now is the time for her to be fighting the champ.

“Obviously, there was some talk of my last fight potentially being a No. 1 contender fight, but I knew there were others in the mix,” Jackson said. “So I thought maybe it would go to one of them first and then I’d get the opportunity. So it wasn’t necessarily about whether I was ready. I just wasn’t sure if I was going to get it straight away. As soon as I got my head around it, it’s the right time for me.”

The British fighter, who fought on Season 23 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ knows what she’s in for facing Hawaii’s Macfarlane.

“She’s obviously a really dominant fighter, undefeated – she’s relentless and I really admire that in her,” Jackson said. “She’s got a good wrestling game and good submission grappling. She knows what she wants, and she goes after it.”

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