When Bellator booked Juliana Velasquez to fight a day before Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s title defense in Hawaii, the Brazilian thought it was a no-brainer that she would be the next in line for the flyweight gold with a win.
She was victorious against Alejandra Lara. And 24 hours later, Macfarlane choked out Valerie Letourneau. The expectations never came to fruition, though, as the 125-pound champion returned four months later to defend her throne against Veta Arteaga.
Now booked to face Kristina Williams in the main card portion of Friday night’s Bellator 224 in Thackerville, Okla.