Undefeated women’s flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez will be in action on Friday night when she defends her title against Denise Kielholtz in the main event of Bellator 262. The action is set to go down from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Velasquez is making the fist defense of the title she won with a decision win over then-champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane this past December. That win ran Velasquez’s career record to an impressive 11-0, with six wins in the Bellator cage. The loss was the first of Macfarlane’s career, making Velasquez’s victory an even bigger accomplishment.
Kielholtz is an accomplished kickboxer, having captured the Bellator kickboxing women’s flyweight championship in 2016. In the Bellator MMA cage, Kielholtz has picked up a 6-1 record and is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, winning twice by knockout and three times by submission despite her striking background.
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The action on Friday fills out nicely below the main event. What is expected to be a wild heavyweight scrap between veterans Tyrell Fortune and Matt Mitrione gets the co-main event slot. Fortune holds a 10-1 record in his career with all fights taking place under the Bellator MMA banner. His lone loss came by vicious knockout against Tim Johnson in February 2020, but he has scored stoppage victories in seven of his 10 wins. Mitrione, 42, is heading in the opposite direction ahead of this bout. The Bellator and UFC veteran has lost three straight after a promising start to his…