This Month’s MMA Birthdays: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Celebrates No. 30

Bellator MMA has uncovered a number of hidden gems in its 11-year existence, but few have shined brighter than Ilima-Lei Macfarlane. The reigning women’s flyweight champion will celebrate her 30th birthday on April 2.

Operating out of the Team Hurricane Awesome camp in San Diego, Macfarlane owns a perfect 11-0 record. She made her professional debut with a 10-second knockout in January 2015, arrived in Bellator a little more than seven months later and soon established herself as a promotional cornerstone. Macfarlane captured the inaugural women’s flyweight title with a triangle armbar submission of Emily Ducote at Bellator 186 and has successfully defended it on four occasions, as she turned away Alejandra Lara, Valerie Letourneau, Veta Arteaga and Kate Jackson in succession. “The Ilimanator” agreed to a five-year, 10-fight contract extension with Bellator in February.

Others in MMA celebrating birthdays during the month of April:

APRIL 1

Vitor Belfort, 43
Jeremy Spoon, 35
Hiromasa Ougikubo, 33
Derek Campos, 32
Ramsey Nijem, 32

APRIL 2

Luiz Cane, 39
Cole Konrad, 36
Yi Sak Kim, 34
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, 30
Benedict Ang, 24

APRIL 3

Rhadi Ferguson, 47
Chael Sonnen, 43
Kazunori Yokota, 42
Travis Reddinger, 38
Sunoto Peringkat, 35

APRIL 4

Ray Mercer, 59
Stephan Bonnar, 43
Rafael Cavalcante, 40
Brian Foster, 36
Riku Shibuya, 35
Ruben Esparza, 32

APRIL 5

James Wilks, 42
Benji Radach, 41
Nicholas Musoke, 34
Jianbing Yang, 26
Said Nurmagomedov, 28

APRIL 6

Charlie Rader, 38
Marcus Brimage, 35
Geje Eustaquio, 31
Doo Ho Choi, 29
Benito Lopez, 26

APRIL 7

Paul Creighton, 50
David Baggett, 40
Russ Miura, 39
Michael Page, 33
A.J. McKee, 25

APRIL 8

Ovince St. Preux, 37
Andrew Sanchez, 32
Milana Dudieva, 31
Manny Lozoya, 31
Taylor Lapilus, 28

APRIL 9

Bernard Ackah, 48
Roman Mitichyan, 42
Phil Harris, 37
Andrew McInnes, 35
Katharina Lehner, 30

APRIL 10

Luis Alberto Nogueira, 38
Sakae Kasuya, 37
Michal Materla, 36
Shinji Maeguchi, 35
James Moontasri, 32

APRIL 11

Gary Quan, 49
Shungo Oyama, 46
Arlene Blencowe, 37
Krasimir Mladenov, 34
Kailin Curran, 29
Sidney Outlaw, 28

APRIL 12

Nobuhiko Takada, 58
Roman Savochka, 42
Gilbert Melendez, 38
Robert Whiteford, 37
Brent Primus, 35
Tiago dos Santos e Silva, 33
Rick Glenn, 31

APRIL 13

Emi Tomimatsu, 38
Ben Saunders, 37
Mehdi Baghdad, 35
Yuko Oya, 33
Justine Kish, 32

APRIL 14

Ebenezer Fontes Braga, 51
Anderson Silva, 45
Jessica Rakoczy, 43
Anthony Hamilton, 40
Jussier Formiga, 35

APRIL 15

Enson Inoue, 53
Kenichi Hattori, 42
Leonardo Guimaraes, 38
Magomed Saadulaev, 36
Gabrielle Holloway, 30

APRIL 16

Jason Norwood, 36
Nate Diaz, 35
Pat Audinwood, 34
Alexandre Pantoja, 30
April Osenio, 26

APRIL 17

Benjamin Smith, 40
Martin Kampmann, 38
Tyron Woodley, 38
Siyar Bahadurzada, 36
Jumabieke Tuerxun, 34

APRIL 18

Jan Finney, 40
Ion Pascu, 38
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, 36
Chibwikem Onyenegecha, 26
Yanan Wu, 24

APRIL 19

Thomas Denny, 49
Dokonjonosuke Mishima, 48
Zach Makovsky, 37
Farkhad Sharipov, 36
Kelli Gottardo, 33
Pascal Krauss, 33

APRIL 20

Dean Storey, 52
Sheila Bird, 44
Moise Rimbon, 43
Daiju Takase, 43
Nate Marquardt, 41
Tyson Griffin, 36
Jonathan Martinez, 26

APRIL 21

Kajan Johnson, 36
Ronny Markes, 32
Alex Oliveira, 32
Adriano Moraes, 31
Paulo Henrique Costa, 29

APRIL 22

Eric Schambari, 42
Alonzo Martinez, 36
Lena Ovchynnikova, 33
Chris Gutierrez, 29
Jerome Rivera, 25

APRIL 23

Josh Bryant, 40
Diego Saraiva, 38
Sam Stout, 36
Juan Manuel Puig, 31
Khonry Gracie, 23

APRIL 24

Marcio Cruz, 42
Achmed Labasanov, 42
Cosmo Alexandre, 38
Shoji Maruyama, 37
Alan Belcher, 36
Germaine de Randamie, 36
Nick Hein, 36
Michael Chandler, 34
Montel Jackson, 28

APRIL 25

Kazuo Misaki, 44
Alexandre Ferreira, 41
Clifford Starks, 39
LaRue Burley, 36
Paul Felder, 35
T.J. Waldburger, 32
Enrique Barzola, 31
Leonardo Mafra Texeira, 31

APRIL 26

David Abbott, 55
Megumi Fujii, 46
Carlos Condit, 36
Cole Miller, 36
Bartosz Fabinski, 34
Marlon Moraes, 32

APRIL 27

Paul Cressaty, 49
Luke Cummo, 40
Steve Swanson, 40
Sijara Eubanks, 35
Justin Wren, 33

APRIL 28

Billy Miles, 42
Leopoldo Serao, 41
Takasuke Kume, 35
Jonavin Webb, 31
Darrick Minner, 30

APRIL 29

Raymond Daniels, 40
Tim Gorman, 37
Valerie Letourneau, 37
Dustin Hazelett, 34
Marina Rodriguez, 33

APRIL 30

Jeff Joslin, 45
Yoel Romero, 43
Jimmy Yabo, 39
Al Iaquinta, 33
Kinberly Tanaka Novaes, 29
Smealinho Rama, 28