- Bellator 254 Predictions Live
- Bellator 254 Predictions
- Macfarlane Vs Velasquez
- Bellator 254 Predictions 2019
- Bellator 254 Predictions Against
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane left San Diego for Connecticut on Saturday. She arrived at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, where she was tested for COVID-19 and sent to her hotel room to quarantine. Bellator fight week had officially begun.
Yet Macfarlane, the women's flyweight champion, still had doubts whether her bout would take place. She is scheduled to defend her title against Juliana Velasquez in the main event of Bellator 254 on Thursday night. With a global coronavirus pandemic, though, and fights in all organizations falling off regularly, Macfarlane wasn't confident.
'I feel like it's not real,' the undefeated champ told ESPN on Friday. 'I feel like the fight is not going to be real until the cage door is closed and we punch each other in the face.'
By all accounts, the bout will indeed go on. And Macfarlane will need to be at her best despite circumstances that have not been ideal. Velasquez, who is undefeated, is Macfarlane's toughest test to date. In fact, some sportsbooks have Velasquez as a slight favorite. Macfarlane acknowledges that this is the fight with the 'highest possibility of me actually losing the belt.'
Bellator 254 Main Card Preview & Quick Picks. By stevejuon MMAmania.com Dec 9, 2020, 10:00pm EST Complete Bellator 254 predictions, full CBS Sports Network-streamed main card preview for.
'I think she is physically very strong and intimidating and she just smells blood,' Macfarlane said. 'She's a killer. I think she hits really hard, from what I've watched on tape.'
- Tapology members can make predictions for upcoming MMA & Boxing fights. Bellator 254 is closed for new predictions. 865 total members made predictions on this event, breaking down as follows below. Leaderboard of the best predictions by member: Bellator 254 Leaderboard.
- Horiguchi was riding high last time he was seen in Bellator, defeating Bellator bantamweight champion in a 'home and home series' in both Bellator and his home RIZIN promotion. Since then he has suffered a shock loss to Kai Asakura in a non-title bout, and gone on to suffer a severe knee injury, which has kept him on the shelf for over a year.
- Leaderboard of the members with the best fight picks for the 8 bouts at Bellator 254.
Macfarlane (11-0) has been with Bellator for five years and she's the only women's 125-pound champion the promotion has ever known, capturing the belt in November 2017. The Hawai'i native has seven finishes in 10 Bellator wins. ESPN has Macfarlane ranked No. 2 in the world among female flyweights.
Bellator 254 Predictions Live
This, though, has been a difficult camp. Macfarlane trains out of San Diego Combat Academy, and California has had some of the strictest COVID-19 regulations in the country. Luckily for Macfarlane, her new home -- which she has dubbed the Pineapple Plantation -- has a workout area with mats, cardio equipment and weights. The only worry was her gym -- whose team dubs itself Team Hurricane Awesome -- getting shut down by local authorities.
'My gym does not give a f---,' Macfarlane said. 'We stayed open, especially for the fighters. We had some fighters that were booked for fights, so we had to train. We didn't have a choice.'
A win over Velasquez could lead to a big fight for Macfarlane in 2021 -- against her teammate Liz Carmouche, a former UFC women's flyweight and bantamweight title challenger. The two are close friends -- Carmouche is watching Macfarlane's dog while she's in Connecticut -- but want to fight each other, a rarity for teammates in MMA.
'The Liz fight would be the biggest fight for me, I think, in terms of promotion,' Macfarlane said. 'Just the whole story.'
To get there, though, Macfarlane has to get by the stiff competition of Velasquez on Thursday.
Here's a look at three things to watch for at Bellator 254:
Is Velasquez as good as the betting lines would suggest?
Macfarlane has not been an underdog in a fight as champion until now. Velasquez, a Brazilian with a background in judo and jiu-jitsu, is highly regarded. She is 10-0 overall and 5-0 in Bellator with three finishes.
A win here for the upstart out of Team Nogueira would turn the Bellator women's flyweight division on its head. There has been talk that Bellator's 2021 grand prix tournament could feature this division. If so, this could be the last title fight until that kicks off.
This is a big one. Not just for Bellator, either. If Velasquez dethrones Macfarlane, she has a chance to ascend up the rankings that also feature the best women's flyweight fighters in the UFC.
Which highly touted new signee will show out?
No fight other than the main event is more intriguing than a bantamweight scrap between a pair of debuting fighters: Magomed Magomedov and Matheus Mattos. That's a lot of M's in one fight. But having both on the roster is a big W for Bellator. Each man has only one career loss, and it came against the same opponent: current UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
Magomedov, nicknamed 'Tiger,' is a Dagestan native with a knack for finishing. He actually owns a split-decision win over Yan in 2016. Mattos, a 28-year-old Brazilian, is an Ultimate Fighter Brazil veteran. Both men represent a new philosophy for Bellator, which has begun signing prospects who are close to being ready for prime time. There are no developmental projects here. Either Magomedov and Mattos will be a legit bantamweight contender with a win Thursday.
Will an All-American wrestling star have a breakout performance?
Bellator 254 Predictions
Unlike Magomedov and Mattos, Romero Cotton and Cody Law are a little further away from title contention. But it sure looks like both have bright futures.
Cotton is former three-time Division II national champion out of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. That school has a bit of an MMA pedigree -- it's the alma mater of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Cotton, a middleweight, is 30 years old but has only four pro fights. He has been a long-term investment for Bellator. Cotton faces Justin Sumter at Bellator 254.
Then there's Law (1-0), who was a Division II national wrestling champion at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He is just 25 years old and trains out of American Top Team. There are high hopes for him. Kenny Champion, a 2-0 prospect, will be his opponent.
Macfarlane Vs Velasquez
In a flyweight title fight on the main card, Thursday, Juliana Velasquez and Ilima-Lei Macfarlane meet at Bellator 254 at the Mohegan Sun Area in Uncasville, Conn. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET.
Bellator 254 Predictions 2019
Tune in to Bellator 254 this Thursday, Dec. 10th, prelims at 6 PM on CBS Sports Network
Velasquez vs. Macfarlane: Tale of the tape
Velasquez (10-0) and Macfarlane (11-0) scrap for the flyweight strap. The unbeaten Velasquez has picked up five wins with the company, including three victories inside the distance. Two of the wins have come via KO/TKO, with one submission win in her debut over three years ago. Last time out she went the distance, getting her arm raised in a unanimous decision victory over Bruna Ellen.
Bellator 254 Predictions Against
As far as Macfarlane is concerned, she has the most consecutive Bellator wins by a female fighter, and her seven stoppage wins are also the most among females. She has also held the title for over three years dating back to Nov. 2017 in a submission win over Emily Ducote. Eight of her 11 fights have finished inside the distance, with six coming via submission. She has proven herself to be one of the best grapplers, not only among female fighters but in all of Bellator. Velasquez will have to be on her toes with a strong defense.
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Velasquez vs. Macfarlane: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
I am looking for this fight to go the distance, and it’s time to see a changing of the card in the women’s flyweight division, too. Macfarlane (+120) has been a worthy champion for a number of years, and she’ll be looking to get this fight to the canvas quickly, where she has the advantage. VELASQUEZ (-145) will be able to avoid that, and keep it upright, looking to wow the judges to win on points.
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