Bellator 295 winner Bruna Ellen wants Keri Melendez fight rebooked

HONOLULU – Bruna Ellen hopes her fight with Keri Melendez gets rescheduled.

Ellen (7-4 MMA, 5-4 BMMA) was scheduled to face Melendez (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) at Bellator 292 in March, but the bout was scrapped when Melendez withdrew due to injury.

Ellen ended up getting booked one month later against Ilara Joanne in this past Saturday’s Bellator 295 event at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. She won by unanimous decision and thinks rebooking her fight against Melendez makes sense.

“Keri Melendez, I was ready for her,” Ellen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “So, we can do that fight like next week if she can.”

Ellen made her flyweight debut once she signed with Bellator in 2016. The Brazilian has alternated wins and losses in her past seven fights but is ready to go on a run after Bellator 295.

“When I was in Brazil, I fought at 115,” Ellen said. “Now I’m 125, flyweight division, So I’m working on my skills, on my speed. I’m training with a lot of high-level girls right now, and I’m proving what I need to do. But I’m ready now just to put some wins. … Sometimes I thought I was too small for the division, but at the same time, I can hurt the girls. You saw it tonight, so I’m learning how to improve my skills for this division and see what can happen next.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.