Tag: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will call for title shot with win over Kana Watanabe at Bellator 295

One of Bellator’s all-time great champions has a plan to recapture a title before it’s time to hang up the gloves.

HONOLULU – One of Bellator’s all-time great champions has a plan to recapture a title before it’s time to hang up the gloves.

Former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) is set to return Saturday for a fight in front of her home city fans against Kana Watanabe (11-1-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at Bellator 295, which takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

If Macfarlane, a Honolulu native, can get the 125-pound belt back, she’d like to retire in front of her home fans.

“I don’t think I’m going to be one of those that’s like, ‘I’m done,’ and then I’m not,” Macfarlane told MMA Junkie at an open workout session for fans and the media at Royal Hawaiian Center in Honolulu. “I always say that I do want to retire definitively. The plan is if I win this fight, I’m going to call for a title shot. It just makes sense that the winner of Saturday gets the next shot – and that’ll be it. That’ll be the end.”

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Macfarlane lost the women’s flyweight title to Juliana Velasquez in late 2020. It was her first MMA loss. She dropped a second in a row after that to Justine Kish before a bounce-back win over Bruna Ellen this past August.

But Velasquez lost the title to current champ Liz Carmouche, who happens to be a longtime training partner and friend of hers. Their dream long has been if they have to fight, it might as well be for the title in a big production.

“I want to get it out of the way,” Macfarlane said. “OK: So (back to Honolulu in) December. … I have no choice but to retire here. All right, if I win on Saturday night, then I’m going to call for the shot and I’m going to call for Uncle Scott (Coker) and Bellator to come back in December. How’s that?”

Check out Macfarlane’s full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Sara McMann’s debut, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s return, more added to Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader

Sara McMann will begin the next chapter of her career in Bellator when the promotion returns to Honolulu in April.

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

Ex-champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane eyeing perfect Bellator retirement storyline vs. friend Liz Carmouche

Now that she’s back in the win column, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane can allow herself to think about the perfect ending to her MMA career.

Now that she’s back in the win column, [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] can allow herself to think about the perfect ending to her MMA career.

Macfarlane (12-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA), a former women’s flyweight champion, snapped a two-fight skid when she beat Bruna Ellen (6-4 MMA, 4-4 BMMA) by unanimous decision at Bellator 284 on Friday. That skid included the loss of her title to Juliana Velasquez in 2020, then an upset loss earlier this year in front of her home fans in Honolulu.

Macfarlane has been open about her desire to wrap up her Bellator contract with another title win, then retire. If she takes the belt back now, it’d be against her friend, teammate and current champ Liz Carmouche – which is exactly how she’d like it to go.

“Of course I want to freaking retire as the champ,” Macfarlane said at her post-fight news conference in Sioux Falls, S.D. “That’s the ultimate goal, is to go for it one more time. My ultimate dream retirement fight would be in Hawaii, fighting for the belt against my friend Liz Carmouche. It’s the ultimate fight. This is it. This is the perfect storyline, and I know that when the day comes when we fight each other, it’s going down. It’s going to be fun, and I say that with the ultimate respect for her.”

Macfarlane admitted she hit a bit of a funk during her back-to-back losses, especially considering she started her career unbeaten at 11-0. She was favored to win Friday against Ellen, but had to endure a tough guillotine choke from her to survive for the decision.

But getting the win may have been the kickstart she needed to get going again.

“I was like, ‘I feel like this is what drugs feel like.’ It’s weird,” Macfarlane said. “Fighting really is like a drug. Once you step in there, once you start fighting, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I love this sh*t.’ I still do love this sport, despite it being real sh*tty sometimes.

“It’s been a very long road. I feel like a lot of my feelings about fighting changed when I lost the belt. It’s been a roller coaster for the last two and a half years. This fight game is such an emotional roller coaster, but that win definitely helped me realize that (my heart is) still there.”

Macfarlane missed weight for the first time and came in three pounds heavy this week. She said that was a sign to her that she probably should shut things down for a while and come back strong in 2023 to continue her quest to get back to title contention.

“Before the missed weight and everything, I was like, ‘If I come out of this fight unscathed, I’m going to ask to be on the Dublin card.’ But then the weight cut came, and it was terrible,” she said. “My body needs to rest and heal. I think timeline-wise, I won’t fight again this year. (It’s) definitely going to be sometime next year – maybe the springtime.”

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Bellator 284 results: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane survives guillotine, nearly losing shorts in first win since 2019

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane largely dominated with the exception of a submission by Bruna Ellen in Round 3.

[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] is back in the win column for the first time since 2019.

At Bellator 284, Macfarlane (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) defeated [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in a women’s flyweight bout. The fight took place Friday on the main card at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Ahead of the bout, Macfarlane missed weight, which she apologized to Ellen for in social media posts shortly thereafter. Ellen accepted the bout despite a three-pound miss by Macfarlane.

The bout was competitive, technical, and calculated with both women having their moments. The fight began with some striking before Macfarlane went to her bread-and-butter grappling. She scored a takedown as the clock wound down. In Round 2, Macfarlane tried for another, with less success.

Round 3 was perhaps Ellen’s best round, as she threatened a guillotine choke for a long period of time. Her grip was tight and, as we came to learn, was catalyzed by Macfarlane’s fear of losing her fight shorts. In her post-fight interview, Macfarlane told “Big” John McCarthy she was not wearing any underwear and feared her shorts were going to come off during the sequence.

Regardless, Macfarlane broke the grasp of Ellen and with it landed on top.

In the eyes of the judges, she did enough to win. Originally read as a split decision, promotion officials later clarified it was unanimous.

After the fight, Mcfarlane got emotional in the cage and explained how this fight rejuvenated her. She showed herself she still has a passion for the sport, despite recent interviews that indicated she won’t fight much longer.

The win was her first since 2019. She snapped a two-fight skid that included a title loss to Julianna Velasquez and a hometown upset by Justine Kish in Hawaii. It also marks her first win since 2020 knee surgery.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 284 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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‘Super shame’: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane opens up on missing weight for Bellator 284

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has been enduring a rough patch lately.

[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] has been enduring a rough patch lately.

Macfarlane (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) weighed in three pounds over the division’s non-title fight limit at 129 for her flyweight matchup against Bruna Ellen on Friday’s Bellator 284 main card at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The fight will proceed after Ellen (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) agreed to take a percentage of Macfarlane’s purse. Macfarlane, a former Bellator flyweight champion, posted Instagram to explain why she missed weight and expressed gratitude to Ellen for accepting the fight.

“Super shame. First and last time I’ll ever miss weight. I’m sorry Bruna for not being professional and making our contracted weight. People don’t understand what a difficult situation this puts you in, but you’re a gangster for accepting the fight and I appreciate you for doing so 🙏🏽.

My body has been going through a lot of changes in the last two years and this week it told me to fuck right off. I’m learning to listen to it, especially as the end of this chapter draws near. I’m going to take a long break after this fight to allow myself time to heal and reassess things. But like I said, this is the one and only time I will ever miss weight. Mark my words.

We got a fight tomorrow night ladies and gentlemen, thanks to Bruna. She’s the real MVP.”

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After going unbeaten for 11 straight fights and defending her Bellator flyweight title four times, the 32-year-old has lost back-to-back bouts. Macfarlane was dethroned by Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 254, then lost a unanimous decision to ex-UFC fighter Justine Kish at Bellator 279 in April in Honolulu in front of her home fans.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Photos: Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins

Check out these photos of the fighters on the scale and the final faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Check out these photos of the main card fighters on the scale and the final pre-fight faceoffs at the Bellator 284 ceremonial weigh-ins in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator 284 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks in Sioux Falls?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 284 main card in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Gracie
vs.
Yamauchi		 Moldavsky
vs.
Mowry		 Ellen
vs.
Macfarlane		 Saricam
vs.
Sowma		 Jeffery
vs.
Vanderford
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
131-79		 yamauchi2022
Yamauchi
(58%)		 mowry2022
Mowry
(61%)		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane
(79%)		 saricam2022
Saricam
(62%)		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
(68%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
143-72
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
139-76		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
137-78
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
135-80		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
132-83		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
131-84		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
130-85		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 sowma2022
Sowma		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Nolan King
@mma_kings
127-88		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 ellen2022
Ellen		 sowma2022
Sowma		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
126-89
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
117-98		 gracie2022
Gracie		 mowry2022
Mowry		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
104-111		 gracie2022
Gracie		 moldavsky2022
Moldavsky		 macfarlane2022
Macfarlane		 saricam2022
Saricam		 vanderford2022
Vanderford

Bellator returns to South Dakota this week with a welterweight bout atop the card, plus two former champions and a recent title challenger on the bill.

Bellator 284 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) takes on first-time Bellator headliner [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) at welterweight. Gracie is a -200 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Yamauchi is +150. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Gracie as one of two unanimous picks on the main card – but in a rarity, our readers disagree and are backing Yamauchi at a big 58 percent clip.

In the co-feature, former interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) takes on unbeaten up-and-comer [autotag]Steve Mowry[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA). Moldavsky is more than a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has the narrowest possible edge over Mowry in the picks at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bruna Ellen[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) takes on former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA), who is fighting outside her native Hawaii or homebase of California for just the second time in nearly five years. Macfarlane is a slight favorite at -135, but is a near-unanimous pick with our staff members at 10-1. (It should be noted Macfarlane missed weight for for the first time in her MMA career. She came in at 129 pounds at Thursday’s weigh-ins.)

[autotag]Gokhan Saricam[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is a 2-1 favorite in his heavyweight bout against [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and he’s got a blowout from our pickers at 9-2.

And to open the main card, our second unanimous pick is recent middleweight title challenger [autotag]Austin Vanderford[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA), who is a -200 favorite against late replacement opponent [autotag]Aaron Jeffery[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Vanderford has an 11-0 shutout from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Yamauchi (58 percent), Mowry (61 percent), Macfarlane (79 percent), Saricam (62 percent) and Vanderford (68 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 284.

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Former champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane plans to finish Bellator contract, then retire

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane sees retirement on the horizon.

[autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] sees retirement on the horizon.

The former Bellator women’s flyweight champion thinks her days in MMA are numbered and plans to make the most of them while she looks to close out her career. Macfarlane (11-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) hopes to regain her title in the span of her contract, complete her Bellator deal, and then walk away from the sport.

“I have four fights left on my contract,” Macfarlane told MMA Junkie. “I would say the ideal scenario is to win these next three (and fight for the title).

“Our division is kind of crazy, and it’s super deep right now. Everyone can make an argument to fight for the belt right now. So it would make sense that I would have to win at least two to get the title shot, or maybe even three considering how deep our division is. So if I win the next three, yes my fourth fight, that’s the one that’s like my retirement fight.”

Macfarlane, 32, says injuries with her knee and neck have contributed to her decision to want to retire at the end of her current Bellator deal. She also wants to start a family and doesn’t see herself raising kids while managing a fighting career.

“I might possibly start having babies after this, so I just want to get through my contract as fast as possible,” Macfarlane said. “Right now, I say I want to stop fighting so that I can (raise my kids), because I say, ‘Where would I have the time to be a mom and be running the gym? And will I have time to train?’ But then you also see badasses like Miesha Tate coming back after having two kids and coming out of retirement. I think everything is possible.”

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The Hawaiian fighter returns to the cage Aug. 12 at Bellator 284 in South Dakota against Bruna Ellen.

Macfarlane enters Bellator 284 on a two-fight skid. She lost her title to Juliana Velasquez in late 2020, then had a decision defeat in her return against Justine Kish in April in Honolulu. Prior to the pair of defeats, Macfarlane was undefeated.

Macfarlane said she’s not pressured by the losses. She’s satisfied with what she’s already accomplished in her career and won’t let her desire to be champion again dim what she’s already done in the sport.

“I’m not stressing too much,” Macfarlane said. “I feel like I’ve already accomplished a lot in my career that I can be proud of, that my team and family can be proud of. So at this point, I just want to have good fights that are fun and entertaining and that put on a good show – and at the same time, bring awareness to whatever I’m currently fighting for outside the cage.

“The ideal scenario would be to fight for the belt in my retirement fight.”

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 13-19)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from June 13-19.