The five-round world championship rematch between reigning flyweight champion Liz Carmouche (17-7) and former titleholder Juliana Velasquez (12-1) is set for the co-main event slot of Bellator 289: Stots vs. Sabatello on Friday, December 9 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
The contest joins Bellator 289 fight card that already features the continuation of the bantamweight World Grand Prix semifinals as Raufeon Stots (18-1) defends his interim belt against No. 6-ranked Danny Sabatello (13-1) and No. 2-ranked Patchy Mix (16-1) faces No. 3-ranked Magomed Magomedov (19-2).
Bellator 289 tickets are on sale and can be purchased through TicketNetwork. Other MMA fans can watch the event live on Showtime.
Widely regarded as a pioneer of women’s mixed martial arts, Liz Carmouche will make the first defense of her newly captured title in an immediate rematch against former titleholder Julianna Velasquez. A quick glance at Carmouche’s recent in-cage exploits will show that the 38-year-old has turned back the clock since signing with Bellator in 2020.
A professional since 2010, Carmouche has looked dominant on her current four-fight winning streak over ranked Bellator flyweights DeAnna Bennett, Vanessa Porto, Kana Watanabe, and Velasquez, scoring three finishes in the process. Carmouche’s fourth-round TKO of Velasquez at April’s Bellator 278 in Hawaii served as an emphatic conclusion to her long journey for a world title, setting up a highly anticipated rematch for Bellator’s return to the Mohegan Sun Arena on December 9.
While April 22 will be remembered by Carmouche as the day she earned her first MMA world title, it marked a bitter memory for former champion Julianna Velasquez. The 35-year-old Brazilian believes the referee’s stoppage in her fight with Carmouche was premature, and at the time of the finish, Velasquez was up 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 across the judges’ scorecards.
Velasquez will look to prove the ending of their last fight was a fluke, and an immediate rematch gives the former Brazilian national judo champion and jiu-jitsu purple belt an opportunity to get back the lone loss of her professional MMA career, regaining her one-time title in the process.
Among the newly announced prelims, Wisconsin’s Mark Lemminger (12-5) takes on Michael Lombardo (12-3-1) at welterweight and Cody Law (6-1) meets the promotional newcomer Cris Lencioni (9-3) at featherweight.
Bellator 289 fight card
The current Bellator 289: Stots vs Sabatello lineup looks as the following:
Main Card
- Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello – Stots’s interim Bellator bantamweight title, bantamweight Grand Prix semi-final
- Liz Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez – Carmouche’s Bellator flyweight title
- Patchy Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov – Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix semi-final
Preliminary Card
- Cody Law vs. Cris Lencioni
- Mark Lemminger vs. Michael Lombardo
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