Tomorrow night, Bellator returns for the first time in a few weeks and they are bringing a great main event. In the main event of the evening, we will see a women’s flyweight title fight between two undefeated fighters.
Bellator flyweight champion, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-0), will be taking on undefeated challenger, Juliana Velasquez (10-0). This is arguably the best Bellator women’s title fight we’ve seen in a very long time.
Macfarlane is one of the best in the world. She made her Bellator debut back in 2016 and she’s dominated every opponent that has stepped in front of her. If you’ve never seen Macfarlane in action, she’s incredible on the ground.
The 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu product is incredibly slick with her transition and her top game is nasty. Whenever she’s not looking for submissions, she’s looking to land big shots. She finished Veta Arteaga with a nasty elbow that caused a fight ending cut to retain her Bellator title.
If she can get the fight down to the ground tomorrow and be on top, it could be a quick night. However, she’s going up against an opponent who represented her country in the Olympics in Judo.
While Macfarlane is known for her skills on the ground, it should be noted that Juliana Velasquez is extremely good on the ground as well. I think because of her judo background, there will likely be some scenarios where we see Macfarlane on the bottom tomorrow night.
Bellator 254 Prediction
When it comes to Bellator 254, I think a good portion of the fight is actually going to take place on the feet. Going off of just the eye test, I’ve been more impressed with Velasquez on the feet than the champion, Macfarlane.
However, Velasquez sometimes doesn’t push the pace like she needs to while Macfarlane is always in attack mode. I think these two are so good that I don’t feel comfortable picking either to win by a finish.
I think the Bellator title fight is going to go the distance. I’m expecting a very back and forth fight. However, in the end, I think it’s the safe bet to ride with Macfarlane. I think she’ll push the pace enough and win enough positions to get the win tomorrow night.
Prediction: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane by Unanimous Decision