In case you missed it, Bellator made history this past weekend by becoming the first major MMA promotion since 2008 to have an event in Hawaii. The two-show combination of Bellator 212 and 213 gave fans a chance to see some of the top talent in the world today.
One of those athletes includes Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, the current Bellator Women’s Flyweight Champion. A true star for the promotion, Macfarlane defeated Valerie Letourneau (10-7) via third-round triangle choke submission in front of her family, friends and statesmen, retaining her title.
Something to take away from the fight was how Macfarlane’s Hawaii heritage was honored. Macfarlane came out in ceremonial garb, creating an iconic moment when it comes to entrances.
🌺@ilimanator 🌺#Bellator213 #BellatorHawaii
Catch all the action now LIVE exclusively on @DAZN_USA ✔️ pic.twitter.com/gZ9WwiFASl— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) December 16, 2018
As for the fight itself, Macfarlane tried standing (literally) against Letourneau. It was an odd decision based off of the fact that is was more known as a submission-based fighter. Once she finally decided to play her game, Letourneau didn’t stand a chance.
Mounting on the woman with the two-fight win streak heading into Saturday night, Macfarlane unloaded with shots to the face before submitting her for the emotional win. The home crowd was molten hot for the finish, as they were before the opening round began.
⚡️ THIS PLACE IS ELECTRIC ⚡️#Bellator213 #BellatorHawaii pic.twitter.com/z4N8LePpwA
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) December 16, 2018
You can watch a replay of the bout, and the entrance, on the DAZN app. The first month is free and then you can pay $9.99 a month for a subscription.
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