In case you missed it (or even if you didn’t), check out the action below from Friday’s Bellator 189: Budd vs. Blencowe 2!
Bellator 189 went down Friday, December 1 from the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma. With a main event featherweight scrap between champion Julia Budd and Arelene Blencowe, it was a night of firsts: the first title defense for Budd, the first fight back from a first-ever loss for Adam Piccolotti. And the first fight at middleweight for the talented Chidi Njokuani, whose struggles to make the welterweight limited are well documented.
Speaking of weight cut troubles, Alexis Dufresne, who had been expected to face Amber Leibrock on the card, instead failed to make weight, and was pulled from the event altogether. It was the fourth blown weight cut for Dufresne, whose weight was not disclosed Thursday. A previous fight against Marloes Coenen, which Dufresne won, was contested at a 150lb catchweight. Both of the ‘Sneaky Zebra’s’ UFC fights also saw her miss weight. Coupled with two withdrawals (one due to pregnancy, the other for undisclosed reasons at Bellator 181), the only time Dufesne has successfully made it to the cage, on weight, over the past several years was at Bellator 174. There, she lost a featherweight bout to Gabrielle Holloway.
The loss of Dufresne vs. Leibrock left Bellator 189 with four main card bouts — and all four went the distance. That meant that the judges loomed large, and with a number of close fights, a questionable decision or two was inevitable. That the main event wound up being one was shame, but ultimately, the headliner didn’t deliver the way many had hoped, with little action, and a lot of wall and stall. When it came time for the results, two judges felt Budd had done enough to retain. Given that Budd is now 2-0 in their series, it’s unlikely Blencowe will get another shot at her any time soon.
Check out the main card action in the gallery below, courtesy of Bellator MMA!
