5 fights to make following Bellator 278 and 279
Now that Bellator 278 and 279 are in the history books, the promotion’s matchmakers will be hard at work. They now have the challenging task of coming up with the most exciting bouts possible.
July should be a target for most fighters to get back into the cage based on the event's timing. The bantamweight Grand Prix will make things easier as dates are already confirmed for upcoming bouts. On June 24, Patchy Mix and interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots will find out their semifinal opponents.
The outcome from this past weekend could also lead to a few rematches being booked, especially in the women’s division. In terms of the bantamweight division, the Grand Prix makes matchmaking easier, as eliminated competitors can be matched up next. This list will look at five fights to make after Bellator 278 and 279.
#5. Former Bellator flyweight champion Ilima-lei Macfarlane vs. loser of Denise Kielholtz vs. Kana Watanabe
#Hawaii's Ilima-Lei Macfarlane falls by unanimous decision to Justine Kish (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in hard fought showdown ultimately won with a third round take down at #Bellator279 in Honolulu khon2.com/top-stories/be… #BellatorHawaii #HawaiiMMA https://t.co/0G999xoY2b
Ilima-lei Macfarlane’s return to the Bellator cage didn’t go according to plan. Justine Kish defeated the former women’s flyweight champion via unanimous decision. Kish's win was significant as she defeated the former champion, which must leave her in title contention.
‘The Ilimanator’ has now lost back-to-back fights, so a logical bout would be the loser of Denise Kielholtz vs. Kana Watanabe. Both women are in a similar situation as they suffered defeats last time out. ‘Miss Dynamite’ is coming off a title loss to former champion Juliana Velasquez in a bout many felt she won. Watanabe's last fight ended in defeat to current champion Liz Carmouche.
Macfarlane vs. Kielholtz or Watanabe would be ideal fights for the promotion. Two fighters with back-to-back losses competing would snap a losing skid and would get one of them back on track.