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Ilima-Lei Macfarlane didn’t get into MMA to become a champion. She didn’t even get into it to become a fighter, really.
Macfarlane was waiting tables and had put on some weight. Every day, she passed a gym and one day decided to go in. Not long after, she caught the bug, and the rest is history.
Once her coaches asked her if she wanted to compete outside the gym, Macfarlane started racking up wins as an amateur. And when she turned pro for the infamous and much-hyped “soccer mom” fight and scored a 10-second knockout, she was hooked.
Bellator took notice and signed her up, and six fights later she was the promotion’s first flyweight champion.
Friday, Macfarlane (7-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) puts her belt on the line for the first time when she meets Alejandra Lara (7-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in the Bellator 201 main event at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie.
Ahead of Bellator 201, the promotion went “In Focus” with Macfarlane to talk about her rise to the title and Friday’s championship bout. Check out the video above.
And for more on Bellator 201, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
LAS VEGAS – Karine Silva isn’t ready to make callouts after her UFC on ESPN 55 victory, but she’s getting closer to it. Silva (18-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC) continued the unbeaten start to her octagon tenure Saturday with a unanimous decision victory over Ariane da Silva (17-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC)...
LAS VEGAS – Ketlen Souza won’t take any time to soak in the success of her first octagon win after UFC on ESPN 55. After falling short in her promotional debut vs. Karine Silva in June, Souza got her hand raised in her sophomore appearance on Saturday when she...
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