Bellator MMA, the promotion which many consider to have the best women’s flyweight division will crown its inaugural champion at Bellator 186, which will take place on Nov. 3 at Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University.
The champion will be the winner of an exciting fight between Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (6-0) and Emily Ducote (6-2). The event will produce the second female champion for Bellator, joining featherweight champion Julia Budd. Scott Coker, president of Bellator MMA spoke about the promotion’s plans.
“We have a very strong commitment to building a respectable female division. We think Ilima has turned into a pretty big star for us and she had a really good fight with Emily back at Bellator 167. This is the right time and the right fight to crown a champion.”
The emergence of a flyweight division has been big for female MMA as a whole. Bellator has been steadily increasing its roster of 125-pound flyweights over the past couple of years, and contender Macfarlane appreciates it.
“Bellator has done an amazing job signing fighters who weren’t really well known and developing us. As the division started growing, they added Valerie Letourneau [a former UFC strawweight title challenger] and world champion boxers like Heather Hardy and Ana Julaton. I think this division has shined a light on Bellator, and honestly, the UFC felt kind of threatened by that momentum. It’s all great for women’s MMA.”
2017 has been a significant year for female flyweights. Bellator is about to crown its first champion and as pointed out by Macfarlane, the UFC has decided to follow their footsteps and will have its own champion by the end of the year.
Scott Coker has been known to support women’s MMA since his time with Strikeforce, the promotion who helped fighters like Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate to become the huge stars they are now.
