Bellator women’s flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez will make her first title defense at Bellator 262 in July.
Promotion officials announced via press release on Friday that Velasquez will take on Bellator kickboxing champ Denise Kielholtz at the event, which takes place July 16 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The flyweight title fight will serve as the evening’s main event.
Velasquez (11-0) has stormed through the promotion’s 125lbs weight class, a run that took her right to previously undefeated champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane last year. Velasquez went the distance with the Hawaiian, becoming the first fighter to get the better of “The Iliminator.”
The 24-year old Brazilian also holds wins over Bruna Ellen, Kristina Williams, and Alejandra Lara, among others.
Kielholtz (6-2), who holds gold in Bellator kickboxing, has been competing in the MMA side since 2015. Her career in mixed martial arts really kicked off two years later under the Bellator banner, and she has since posted a 6-1 record for the promotion. Currently riding a four-fight win streak with four finishes, Kielholtz will enter the title challenge off a knockout of Kate Jackson last October.
“I’m extremely excited and happy to get back in the BELLATOR cage and defend my title for the first time,” said Velasquez, quoted in Friday’s press release. “I’ve been training really hard, and I’m fully prepared to put on an incredible performance for my fans. Denise has been a great champion in the BELLATOR kickboxing ring, but this MMA belt is mine and it will be going back to Brazil with me after the fight.”
