Sports

Bellator In The 2010s: Looking Back At The Female Divisions

Over the past decade, Bellator has had crowned champions in three female divisions with a total of four fighters winning the belts.

Currently, just two of those divisions are active.

Cris Cyborg added Bellator gold to her UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC titles earlier this year, while Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is the only flyweight champion.

Zoila Gurgel held the strawweight title in 2010 for over two years, but the belt has been inactive since she left for Invicta FC.

Bellator In The 2010s: Looking Back At The Featherweight Division

Cris Cyborg

In January, Cris Cyborg made history, becoming the first-ever fighter to hold gold in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC.

Cyborg scored a victory over Julia Budd at Bellator 238 in Inglewood, California on January 25, 2020.

Julia Budd

For over 1,000 days, Julia Budd was the champion in the division.

Budd won the title at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017 with a victory over Marloes Coenen. She held it for exactly 1,137 days win defenses over Arlene Blencowe, Talita Nogueira and Olga Rubin.

Bellator In The 2010s: Looking Back At The Flyweight Division

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane

The one and only champion in the Bellator flyweight division, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has held the title for nearly 1,000 days.

Macfarlane won the inaugural belt at Bellator 186 on the campus of Penn State University on November 3, 2017 with a victory over Emily Ducote.

She earned successful defenses in 2018 vs. both Alejandra Lara and Valerie Letourneau, following up in 2019 with wins vs. Veta Arteaga and Kate Jackson.

Bellator In The 2010s: Looking Back At The Strawweight Division

Zoila Gurgel

At Bellator 34 on October 28, 2010, Zoila Gurgel won the inaugural Bellator strawweight title with a victory over Megumi Fujii from Hollywood, Florida.

The tournament bracket also included future UFC champion Carla Esparza, Lisa Ward, Aisling Daly, Lynn Alvarez and Jessica Penne.

She would hold the strap for 831 days without defending it before departing for Invicta FC on February 5, 2013.

Dana Becker

The world of MMA is one of the few sports that brings together people from all walks of life. I try my best to tell those stories and also present breaking news to the masses.

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