Bellator 236 results: Juliana Velasquez dominates Bruna Ellen to make case for title shot

Juliana Velasquez strengthened her argument for the next shot at the Bellator flyweight title with a one-sided beatdown of Bruna Ellen on Saturday at Bellator 236.

Velasquez (10-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) kept her undefeated record in tact as she put on a striking clinic over the course of three rounds, bloodying Ellen (5-3 MMA 3-3 MMA) to take a clear-cut unanimous decision on scorecards of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

The bout was part of the Bellator 236 main card at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streamed on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Velasquez came out of the gate looking to send a message. Roughly 90 seconds into the opening round, Velasquez connected with a huge right hand that dropped Ellen to the mat. She swarmed on the mat, but was unable to get the stoppage. Ellen survived and got back to her feet, but she quickly found herself on the wrong end of Velasquez’s striking flow for the remainder of the round.

It was clear by early in the second round that Velasquez had Ellen figured out. Ellen’s height and reach disadvantage made it near-impossible for her to land anything meaningful, and Velasquez offered relentless pressure on the feet. She wasn’t able to seriously hurt Ellen, but the round winner was clear.

The third round was desperation time for Ellen, and it was clear she wasn’t keen to quit. She tried with all her might, but Velasquez had control of the range and just picked her opponent apart with jabs and all sorts of striking combinations. She cruised to the final bell and got the decisive win.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 236 results include:

• Juliana Velasquez def. Bruna Ellen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26
• Raufeon Stots def. Cheyden Leiloha via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Zach Zane def. Nainoa Dung via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Swayne Lunasco def. Kaylan Gorospe via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:29
• Ben Wilhelm def. Kealii Kanekoa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:24
• Dustin Barca def. Brandon Pieper via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 0:58
• Kai Kamaka III def. Spencer Higa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Keoni Diggs def. Scotty Hao via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:23