Former Bellator flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez has praised the Professional Fighters League’s acquisition of Bellator, saying it will allow them to compete with the UFC and provide more opportunities for fighters.
Juliana Velasquez, a former Bellator flyweight champion, has given a thumbs up to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) for acquiring Bellator. She reckons this move is a strategic one to challenge UFC’s dominance in the MMA world.
Speaking on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, Velasquez expressed optimism for the future of PFL and Bellator fighters. This follows PFL’s announcement of its acquisition of Bellator in November. According to her, PFL will stick to its usual season format in 2024, while Bellator will operate as an international circuit.
“PFL is on the rise,” Velasquez noted. She pointed out the recent fights involving Francis Ngannou in boxing and YouTubers like Jake Paul. She believes that merging PFL’s athletes with Bellator’s will provide fighters with more recognition and opportunities to showcase their skills.
Velasquez is confident that PFL can compete with UFC. “It already does, I believe. The competition is going to be pretty even in the public’s eyes. I think it’s going to be super cool,” she said.
Currently, PFL doesn’t include flyweights in their regular season. These are only part of the PFL Europe circuit. In 2023, Dakota Ditcheva, who defeated Malin Hermansson and Cornelia Holm, was crowned the PFL Europe flyweight champion.
Velasquez, who’s ranked 12th on the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, is the only Bellator fighter in the top 15, apart from Liz Carmouche (No. 6). Carmouche defeated Velasquez twice in 2022 for the Bellator title. Taila Santos (No. 4) and Jennifer Maia (No. 13), who recently left UFC, are the only other non-UFC talents in the top 15.
Velasquez suggested that the combination of Bellator and PFL Europe could lead to the creation of a new weight class. She said, “I can fight another Bellator fighter in the PFL, it doesn’t necessarily need to be under the Bellator banner. Let’s wait and see what happens. Maybe they’ll do a flyweight season now and put up quite a nice event, right?”
Velasquez was scheduled to fight Paula Cristina in the final Bellator card of 2023, but she had to withdraw at the last minute due to an infection. Now, she’s been cleared to resume light training and could potentially fight in late Q1 2024. Her girlfriend, Milla Linhares, is expecting their first child, Rafaela, in December.
“I’ll be ready to fight whoever they put in my way,” Velasquez said. She added, “I’ve never been part of a tournament in MMA, so I would love to see what it feels like, and win such tournament like thrones I competed in judo. It would be very interesting.”