Bellator has crowned its first female featherweight champion Friday night in Thackerville, Okla.
Julia Budd took on longtime veteran Marloes Coenen in the main event of Bellator 174, and made clear early on that she had no intention staying on her feet with Coenen, taking the Dutch fighter down and working on top for the first three rounds.
Budd was only able to get the mount in the fourth round, and landed dozens of punches and elbows until referee John McCarthy decided to stop the fight. Budd, who holds a win over current UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, scored her eighth consecutive win since losing to Ronda Rousey in 2011.