Juliana Velasquez Bellator 254 Pre-Fight Media Scrum
The Bellator 254 main event sees a clash of two undefeated standouts, for the women’s flyweight gold. Juliana Velasquez (10-0) represents the biggest test to date for Bellator flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-0). The fight will serve as the main event that takes place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, which has been the promotion’s unofficial home during the pandemic.
Velasquez enters the contest undefeated. Since joining the company in 2017, Velasquez has beaten Na Liang, Rebecca Ruth, Alejandra Lara, Kristina Williams, and Bruna Ellen. The undefeated flyweight’s record stands at 10 wins and 0 losses.
Velasquez’s run in Bellator started with a second-round submission of Na Liang at Bellator 189 in December 2017, then she faced Rebecca Ruth at Bellator 197 the following April as she looked to register back-to-back wins with her new promotion.
Her second fight went longer than her first, as Ruth managed to push the Brazilian into the third round of their matchup in St. Charles, Missouri, but Velasquez found a finish, thanks to a body kick just 19 seconds into the final round. With that win under her belt, Velasquez went on to win three more times to secure her a title shot against Macfarlane.
In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Velasquez went into detail about how the pandemic did throw her off training schedule in the beginning, but her day-to-day routine soon turned back to normal. However, since the United States is still following a strict protocol on who can enter its territory, Juliana was unsure if Bellator will still maintain her spot as the next challenger now that they are back in business she has been granted the shot at gold this Thursday.
BELLATOR VIRTUAL MEDIA ATTENDEES:
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane – Bellator Flyweight world champion
Juliana Velasquez – Bellator Flyweight
Goiti Yamauchi – Bellator Lightweight
Nate Andrews – Bellator Lightweight
Magomed Magomedov – Bellator Bantamweight
Matheus Mattos – Bellator Bantamweight
Linton Vassell – Bellator Heavyweight
Ronny Markes – Bellator Heavyweight
Davion Franklin – Bellator Heavyweight
Cody Law – Bellator Featherweight
