Arlene Blencowe Talks Cris Cyborg and Where She Stands in Bellator Women’s Featherweight Division
Arlene Blencowe, like the rest of the world, has to do her part to get home, stay there and wait things out. While she is waiting though, she does not plan to lose focus and just as sports were being put on pause and the weekend Bellator 241 was postponed, she was in New Mexico training with the likes of Holly Holm at the famed Jackson/Wink gym. She knows she has to hunker down, but she is still focused on a fight ahead of her, Cris Cyborg.
Blencowe has won three fights in a row, and before that lost a split decision to former featherweight champ Julia Budd, so she has never been far from the title. When Cyborg made her Bellator MMA debut it was with an immediate title shot that she won when she beat Budd, and Blencowe watched that fight very closely. “I am the number one contender at the moment,” Blencowe told MyMMANews and said that, “the fight with Cris Cyborg was inevitable.”
Training in New Mexico was nothing new; she actually had “Coach Wink”, in her corner for the last two of her three wins. As far as her keeping an eye on the outcome of Cyborg’s debut at Bellator 238 in January, she thought the fight was awesome. Having faced Budd twice she knew that Budd had strong wrestling and Cyborg’s striking already has a reputation of its own.
When looking at what her best weapons are against Cyborg, Blencowe feels her striking might be suited best to face Cyborg. “If you’re sort of breaking down MMA into different categories, I think my striking would be a bit more technical,” Blencowe said but also noted, “She’s always been a dominant striker, but technically she’s improved as a striker as well.”
Blencowe said Bellator President Scott Coker has mentioned a few times already that she is the number one contender at featherweight so while the world waits for sports to return, Blencowe will remain focused and ready for when MMA can resume.
