The sky is the limit for Juliana Velasquez! The Brazilian made her name in history by winning the flyweight belt (up to 56,7 kg) at Bellator 254, which took place in December 2020, against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. In an interview with SUPER LUTAS YouTube channel, the Rio native says that it still hasn't sunk in that she is the organization's new champion and compared Bellator with the UFC.
See too
“It’s hard to sink in (the penny). Every athlete has a career plan. Mine was (to compete in) a judo Olympics. That didn't happen, but when I switched to MMA, I wanted to fight for the world title. I think every great athlete always aims for the highest level and I'm happy to achieve it”, said the champion about winning the belt.
Asked about the comparison between Bellator and UFC, Ju Velasquez believes that the company where she is champion has an advantage over Ultimate in terms of athletes.
“Bellator has better athletes than the UFC. O Patrick Pitbull, for me, is the best in the world in its categories (feather and light). We also have the Patricky Pitbull, Douglas lima and Cyborg herself. Now they have confirmed the hiring of Yoel romero, who is another top fighter. Bellator is showing what it came for. (…), they have other great athletes who just need to be seen”, he guaranteed.
SUPERFIGHT AGAINST SHEVCHENKO
About a possible fight against the UFC flyweight champion (up to 56,7 kg), Valentina Shevchenko, the fighter said that she already imagined herself facing the Kyrgyz-Peruvian.
“Every fighter wants a challenge. A challenge between 'UFC x Bellator' would be interesting, but I don't believe it will happen. I would really like to be able to fight Valentina (Shevchenko). It would be a great fight. I already stopped to think about what a fight against her would be like. We are both left-handed and we like to counter punch. She is into muay thai and judo. I'm also a judo fan and I like striking. I will always believe in myself more than the other person. I’m very patient and that’s my strong point (…), I think that would be the way to go,” she explained.
BELT DEFENSE IN BRAZIL
After winning the belt, Ju Velasquez stated that, as champion, one of her main goals is to defend the Bellator title in Brazil and she will make an 'effort' to make that happen. The organization's president, Scott Coker, has never held an event in the country.
“Before (the belt), I couldn’t say anything. But now with the title I will always ask my managers, Joinha (Jorge Guimarães) and Ed (Soares), to try to hold an event in Brazil and defend the belt here would be incredible. But I haven't heard any rumors or commented on it yet. Nowadays, the face of national MMA is female,” he concluded.
Currently, Ju Velasquez is 34 years old and is undefeated in MMA. The Rio native has 11 career victories.
Comments