Bellator 249 is in the books, and not only is Cris Cyborg still the Bellator women’s featherweight champion, this time her customary finish was not a knockout.
For the first time in her illustrious career, the Brazilian striker used her submission skills to win a pro MMA bout. Arlene Blencowe may still be able to say that no one has knocked her out in MMA or boxing, but she was overmatched on the feet, even more overmatched on the ground, and tapped to a rear-naked choke midway through round two. This was Cyborg’s first defense of her title after dethroning previous champ Julia Budd at the start of 2020.