A few Bellator MMA fighters may have needed the full
additional hour, but every competitor for this Friday’s card made
weight.
After three weeks away, Bellator is back with
Bellator 262 inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.,
with a flyweight title fight and a high-stakes heavyweight scrap on
tap. The event will be capped off by Juliana
Velasquez’ first defense of her 125-pound throne, when she
takes on kickboxing convert Denise
Kielholtz (6-2) at night’s end. All 10 fights on the card are
official, as every fighter made weight, even though two prelim
fighters needed an extra hour to hit their marks.
Velasquez (11-0) comes into this battle with a flawless record,
seven months removed from wresting the title from Ilima-Lei
Macfarlane in December. The Brazilian champ has stormed her way
through the Bellator cage, rattling off six wins since her
organizational debut in 2017 over names like Na Liang,
Alejandra
Lara and Kristina
Williams on her way up. Against her will be a kickboxing
standout in Kielholtz (6-2), who finds herself on a four-fight
finish streak over the likes of Kate
Jackson and Williams. The Dutchwoman posts an MMA stoppage rate
of 83 percent, and she celebrates a kickboxing record of 47-3 as
well. The champion Velasquez weighed in at 125 pounds on the
button, while Kielholtz came in lighter at 124 pounds.
The co-main event sees powerful wrestler Tyrell
Fortune (233.5) take on fan-favorite Matt
Mitrione (261) in a heavyweight contest that should cement the
victor’s place among the top five of the division. Before then,
Matheus
Mattos (135.75) looks to bounce back from the first decision
loss of his career against ex-flyweight C.J.
Hamilton (135.5) at bantamweight. In the women’s featherweight
division, perennial contender Arlene
Blencowe (146) throws down with Brazil’s Dayana
Silva (146), while the main card commences with a middleweight
clash pitting unbeaten prospect Johnny
Eblen (186) against the submission-minded Travis
Davis (186).
The
Bellator 262 prelims will stream on the Bellator YouTube
channel and Pluto TV at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The
five-fight main card commences at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT only on
Showtime.
Bellator 262 Weigh-in Results:
Juliana
Velasquez (125) vs. Denise
Kielholtz (124)
Tyrell
Fortune (233.5) vs. Matt
Mitrione (261)
Matheus
Mattos (135.75) vs. C.J.
Hamilton (135.5)
Arlene
Blencowe (146) vs. Dayana
Silva (146)
Johnny
Eblen (186) vs. Travis
Davis (186)
Ronny
Markes (252) vs. Said Sowma
(245)
Cody
Law (145.75) vs. Theodore
Macuka (146)
Diana
Avsaragova (126) vs. Gabriella
Gulfin (124.75)
Johnny
Soto (145.75) vs. Adil
Benjilany (145.75)
Charlie
Campbell (155) vs. Nick
Giulietti (156)