Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 271, which took place Friday and saw Cris Cyborg defend her title in 92 seconds.
[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] continued her reign of terror on Friday with another dominant title defense against [autotag]Sinead Kavanagh[/autotag] in the Bellator 271 main event.
Cyborg (25-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) recorded her third consecutive defense when she stopped Kavanagh (7-5 MMA, 4-5 BMMA) by knockout just 92 seconds into the headliner, which took place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 271.
Valerie Loureda will look to rebound from the first loss of her career when she competes at home.
Bellator 271 is less than one month away, and the card is quickly filling up.
On Wednesday, promotion officials announced the addition of five preliminary card matchups, each of which features at least one multifight-rostered up-and-comer.
The event takes place Nov. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Among the names included are highly touted prospects Valerie Loureda, Roman Faraldo, Desiree Yanez, Cody Law, and Jordan Newman. Scroll below to check out who each fighter is facing.
Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 236, which took place Saturday in Honolulu.
The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader took place Saturday with Bellator 236, which went down at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, with a main card that streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Hometown hero and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA) had another magical moment in her career when, for the second consecutive year, she defended her title on her own soil with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), who became the first in six fights to push “The Ilimanator” to the scorecards.
For more on numbers to come out of main event, as well as the rest of the main card, check below for 30 post-event facts from Bellator 236.
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General
Betting favorites went 5-0 on the main card. One fight did not have odds available.
Betting favorites improved to 13-8 (with two no contests and one draw) in Bellator main events this year.
Total fight time for the six-bout main card was 1:36:08.
Main card
Macfarlane’s four consecutive Bellator title defenses are tied for most among current champions.
Macfarlane’s five victories in Bellator title fights are tied for third most in company history behind Patricio Freire (eight) and Michael Chandler (six).
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind A.J. McKee (16).
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak is tied with Michael Page for the second longest streak in company history behind McKee (16).
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Macfarlane’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak in the longest among female fighters in the organization.
Macfarlane’s 10 Bellator victories are most among female fighters in the organization.
Macfarlane’s 10 victories in Bellator flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Jackson has suffered both of her Bellator losses by decision.
[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag]’s (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) 16-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest active streak in the company.
McKee’s 16-fight Bellator winning streak is the longest streak in company history.
McKee’s 16-fight Bellator winning streak in featherweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
McKee’s 16 victories in Bellator competition are tied with Chandler for second most in company history behind Freire (18).
McKee’s 16 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Freire (17).
McKee’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are tied with Freire and Chandler for most in company history.
McKee’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
McKee’s five submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-10 MMA, 9-8 BMMA) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to February 2018.
Campos fell to 1-2 since he dropped to the featherweight division in December 2018.
Campos has suffered seven of his eight Bellator losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-9-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) fell to 2-2 since his final UFC appearance in June 2017.
[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag]’s five-fight Bellator winning streak in flyweight competition is the second longest active streak in the division behind Macfarlane (10).
Velasquez’s five victories in Bellator flyweight competition are second most in divisor history behind Macfarlane (10).
[autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision.
[autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 3-0.
Juliana Velasquez strengthened her argument for the next shot at the Bellator women’s flyweight title with a one-sided win at Bellator 236.
[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] strengthened her argument for the next shot at the Bellator flyweight title with a one-sided beatdown of [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] on Saturday at Bellator 236.
Velasquez (10-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) kept her undefeated record in tact as she put on a striking clinic over the course of three rounds, bloodying Ellen (5-3 MMA 3-3 MMA) to take a clear-cut unanimous decision on scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.
The bout was part of the Bellator 236 main card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Velasquez came out of the gate looking to send a message. Roughly 90 seconds into the opening round, Velasquez connected with a huge right hand that dropped Ellen to the mat. She swarmed on the mat, but was unable to get the stoppage. Ellen survived and got back to her feet, but she quickly found herself on the wrong end of Velasquez’s striking flow for the remainder of the round.
It was clear by early in the second round that Velasquez had Ellen figured out. Ellen’s height and reach disadvantage made it near-impossible for her to land anything meaningful, and Velasquez offered relentless pressure on the feet. She wasn’t able to seriously hurt Ellen, but the round winner was clear.
The third round was desperation time for Ellen, and it was clear she wasn’t keen to quit. She tried with all her might, but Velasquez had control of the range and just picked her opponent apart with jabs and all sorts of striking combinations. She cruised to the final bell and got the decisive win.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 236 results include:
Juliana Velasquez def. Bruna Ellen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26
Bruna Ellen speaks to MMA Junkie ahead of her bout with Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 236 in Hawaii.
HONOLULU – Now 23, flyweight prospect [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] has been growing her skillset and developing her career on the big stage after making her debut at the tender age of 20.
After picking up a solid victory against Elina Kallionidou at Bellator 224, Ellen (5-2, 3-2 BMMA) faces the toughest assignment of her young career against the undefeated Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 236.
The all-Brazilian battle could potentially produce the next challenger for the Bellator women’s flyweight title, and Ellen told MMA Junkie that fans should expect her bout with Velasquez (9-0, 4-0 BMMA) to produce plenty of action in Hawaii.
Check out the full interview with Ellen ahead of Saturday’s fight in the video above.
MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look at the key narratives ahead of Bellator 236 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader sees Bellator 236 take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu as Hawaii’s own [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] bids to complete her fourth successful defense of the Bellator women’s flyweight title.
The card also features the first quarterfinal bout in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, as [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag], while a host of rising prospects look to make their mark with performances to match their spectacular setting.
Here are our four burning questions ahead of Saturday night’s fights.
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Will Ilima-Lei Macfarlane keep her gold?
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has been the poster girl for Bellator ever since she captured the women’s flyweight title at Bellator 186 back in November 2017, and since then she has cemented her status as the organization’s top 125-pounder with a hat-trick of third-round finishes.
Now she takes on seasoned veteran and British female MMA pioneer [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag], who is bidding to make history in her homeland by becoming the first British female to capture a major MMA title.
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Jackson booked her place in Saturday’s main event with a first-round finish of Lena Ovchynnikova, and will look to spring a shock against Macfarlane, who has finished every challenger to cross her path as Bellator champion.
Will Jackson be the first challenger to push Macfarlane to the limit, or will the defending champion produce another impressive display and claim a fourth straight finish to send her fellow Hawaiians home happy?
Bellator is back in Hawaii for a doubleheader weekend for the second straight December.
Bellator 236 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie. Friday, the same venue hosts Bellator 235 (“Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops 2019”), an event exclusively for military members stationed in Honolulu.
In the main event, women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), a native of Hawaii who grew up in Honolulu, puts her title on the line against British challenger [autotag]Kate Jackson[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA). Macfarlane is a heavy favorite at the sports books with odds for her as high as 7-1. Not surprisingly, our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking the champ unanimously.
The co-main event is another unanimous pick from our staff members – one of five 13-0 blowouts on the main card. [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 15-0 BMMA) is as much as an 8-1 favorite in his fight against [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 9-7 BMMA), which is a quarterfinal matchup in Bellator’s ongoing featherweight tournament.
[autotag]Juliana Velasquez[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) will try to stay unbeaten when she takes on [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in a women’s flyweight bout. Velasquez is more than a 4-1 favorite and one of our five unanimous picks.
[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) recently got a long-awaited call from a big-time promotion when Bellator brought him on board. Stots, who trains at Roufusport in Milwaukee, is a 7-1 favorite against local fighter [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), and he’s a 13-0 pick from our staff members.
The other unanimous pick goes to [autotag]Nainoa Dung[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), who opens the main card against [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a lightweight fight. Dung, from Hawaii, made his Bellator debut a year ago in Honolulu and will try to repeat his success Saturday.
Our only contentious fight on the main card is between [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and [autotag]Kiichi Kunimoto[/autotag] (20-8-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA). Jackson stepped up on short notice when Neiman Gracie fell off the card earlier this week with an injury. He’s more than a 2-1 favorite, and even though it’s not unanimous, Jackson still has a massive 11-2 lead in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Macfarlane (95%), McKee (88 percent), Jackson (60 percent), Velasquez (81 percent), Stots (70 percent) and Dung (57 percent) are the choices.
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
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
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
A.J. McKee
[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
Kiichi Kunimoto
[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.
We want your predictions for Bellator 236 in Hawaii.
We want your predictions for this week’s Bellator 236 “Salute the Troops 2019” event in Hawaii.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 236 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 236 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.
