4 burning questions heading into Bellator 236
The second half of Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader sees Bellator 236 take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu as Hawaii’s own Ilima-Lei Macfarlane bids to complete her fourth successful defense of the Bellator women’s flyweight title.
The card also features the first quarterfinal bout in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, as A.J. McKee takes on Derek Campos, while a host of rising prospects look to make their mark with performances to match their spectacular setting.
Here are our four burning questions ahead of Saturday night’s fights.
****
Will Ilima-Lei Macfarlane keep her gold?
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has been the poster girl for Bellator ever since she captured the women’s flyweight title at Bellator 186 back in November 2017, and since then she has cemented her status as the organization’s top 125-pounder with a hat-trick of third-round finishes.
Now she takes on seasoned veteran and British female MMA pioneer Kate Jackson, who is bidding to make history in her homeland by becoming the first British female to capture a major MMA title.
Jackson booked her place in Saturday’s main event with a first-round finish of Lena Ovchynnikova, and will look to spring a shock against Macfarlane, who has finished every challenger to cross her path as Bellator champion.
Will Jackson be the first challenger to push Macfarlane to the limit, or will the defending champion produce another impressive display and claim a fourth straight finish to send her fellow Hawaiians home happy?
