On Thursday, “Cris Cyborg” will attempt to become the second woman to defend the Bellator MMA featherweight title.
Cristiane Justino became the second woman to win the Bellator 145-pound belt when she knocked out Julia Budd at Bellator 238 in January. However, if we adhere to the homespun wisdom of Matt Hughes, who famously claimed that a champion isn’t truly a champion until he or she has successfully defended that title, then she has one more hurdle to overcome, in the form of her first title challenger, Arlene Blencowe.