NORWICH, Conn. – Juliana Velasquez may not have gotten exactly what she was hoping for in the aftermath of her title loss, but Friday she’ll get the next best thing.
Velasquez (12-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) lost the women’s flyweight title to Liz Carmouche (17-7 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) at Bellator 278 in April in Honolulu. Carmouche took the belt with a TKO from unanswered elbows late in the fourth round. But Velasquez thought the stoppage was premature and lobbied to have the result overturned.
That didn’t happen, but the Bellator brass decided the Brazilian was worthy of a crack at redemption without having to work her way back up. Velasquez will challenge Carmouche for the title in the Bellator 289 co-main event Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
