Juliana Velasquez takes on Bruna Ellen at Bellator 236 on Saturday, December 21st. It’s a high stakes flyweight bout with strong implications that the winner could be the next title contender. Velasquez enters this fight on the heels of finishing Kristina Williams in the second round. Ellen is 3-1 in her last four bouts with a W over former title challenger Veta Arteaga. Velasquez came across as laser-focused when I spoke to her in the days leading up to this bout.
Bellator 236
Velasquez seems to be firing on all cylinders in the lead up to this bout. Through a translator, Velasquez said, “It feels so great. This preparation for this fight, she thinks is the better she already do until now. She’s hungry to fight.”
The undefeated flyweight is still training at the same vaunted facility and is going with a methodology that has been proven to work well. Through a translator, Velasquez quipped, “She’s still training at Team Noguiera and still training with the same person’s trains.”
Velasquez knows that her opponent is going to be a gamer. She is ready to best a well-trained opponent on Saturday. Through a translator, Velasquez stated, “She thought she’s gonna come with the power. She’s gonna try everything. It’s the fight of her life. But for her, all fights are the fght of her life. She’s gonna defend everything and try to knock him out.”
The fight with Ellen is a high-stakes bout that many see as being a number one contender’s bout. This is not something Bellator has communicated to Velasquez but she’ll just be focusing on what’s in her control. Through a translator, Velasquez stated, “I hope so she said but they don’t say nothing. But she’s going to get ready for that.”
Juliana Velasquez
The main event on Bellator 236 goes between defending flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and challenger Kate Jackson. Through a translator, Velasquez said, “Ilima-Lei is gonna be the winner and she’s gonna have a perfect record…She’s ready for who’s going to win.”
This isn’t Velasquez’s first time-fighting in Hawaii and she thinks there’s some residual positivity fighting there. Through a translator, Velasquez quipped, “She fought there one year ago. She thinks there’s good energy. He came back with the victory last time and she hope so this time, he comes back with the victory too.”
Velasquez does have a past in surfing but will not be indulging while she’s in Hawaii. Through a translator, Velasquez said, “She’s already surfed years ago but right now she doesn’t do anymore. And the waves…I don’t let her get inside the sea.” She opts to relax and recover in a safer fashion. Through a translator, Velasquez stated, “Hanging out with her friends, pool, and driving with her friends. Just that. She’s kind of low profile recovering.”
With the new year approaching, Velasquez only has one accomplishment she’d like to achieve. Through a translator, Velasquez quipped, “That goal is going to be the champion of Bellator; 2020, that is the goal. She dream of that.”
