Liz Carmouche (17-7) and Juliana Velasquez (12-1) will run it back for Bellator’s women’s flyweight championship this December.
Carmouche vs. Velasquez 2 is one of a trio of additions to the Bellator 289 card on December 9, 2022. The other bouts see Wisconsin welterweight Mark Lemminger (12-5) face Michael Lombardo (12-3-1), while featherweight prospect Cody Law (6-1) goes up against Cris Lencioni (9-3).
Velasquez lost both her flyweight title and her undefeated record when she fell to Carmouche via a controversial fourth-round TKO this past April in Honolulu. The fight, which most — including the judges — had Velasquez winning to that point was stopped just seconds before the end of the round. The Brazilian would appeal the ruling, claiming she had still been defending herself despite referee Mike Beltran waving off the fight.
Former official and Bellator analyst “Big” John McCarthy went so far as to write a letter in support of Velasquez, but the Hawaiian commission opted not to review the incident.
Neither fighter has competed since that April meeting.
Bellator 289 takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The following bouts have been announced for the card thus far:
- Raufeon Stots (ic) vs. Danny Sabatello – for the Bellator interim bantamweight championship/Bantamweight World Grand Prix Semifinal
- Liz Carmouche (c) vs. Juliana Velasquez – for the Bellator women’s flyweight championship
- Patchy Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov – Bantamweight World Grand Prix Semifinal
- Cody Law vs. Cris Lencioni
- Mark Lemminger vs. Michael Lombardo
