Canada’s Julia Budd to defend Bellator featherweight title against Blencowe

TORONTO – Canadian Julia (The Jewel) Budd will make the first defence of her Bellator featherweight title against Australian Arlene (Angerfist) Blencowe on Dec. 1 in Thackerville, Okla.

Budd (10-2-0) won the 135-pound title at the same venue, the WinStar World Casino and Resort, in March when she stopped Marloes Coenen in the fourth round to decide Bellator’s first female featherweight champion.

Budd has won her last eight fights dating back to a November 2011 loss to (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey in the Strikeforce promotion.

The 34-year-old from Port Moody, B.C, won a majority decision over Blencowe (10-6-0) in October 2016. Blencowe, a former former world champion boxer, has won three subsequent outings.

Middleweights Chris Honeycutt (10-1-0) and Rafael Lovato Jr. (6-0-0) will face off in the co-main event Dec. 1.