Bellator MMA announced its first-ever event to be held in Hawaii this December. The card will be highlighted by Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defending her flyweight title. In honor of the occasion, the mayor of Honolulu proclaimed September 17th Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Day.
The Bellator flyweight will defend her title December 15th at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii against Valerie Letourneau. Also on the card, Rafael Carvalho will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
The event was announced earlier this week and will be a first for the promotion. As we know, the UFC negotiated with Honolulu officials to have an event in Hawaii but that did not come to fruition.
Bellator will feature Macfarlane and she has made the rounds to promote the event as highlighted via MMA Junkie.
Payout Perspective:
While the expense to hold an event in Hawaii is more than the standard reservation route, the event has a chance to score big with Hawaiians that have been hoping that Max Holloway would return to defend the title. But, that does not seem like an event happening anytime soon. The event is a chance to highlight a Bellator women’s champion, a division that is rarely highlighted by the company. If Macfarlane can defend the title, she can be a major figure for the company when it comes to women’s MMA.
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