Preview: Bellator 236 ‘Macfarlane vs. Jackson’

Juliana Velasquez vs. Bruna Ellen

Many thought that if Velasquez was on the same card as MacFarlane it would be because she would be challenging for MacFarlane’s title. Instead, she has been pitted against Bruna Ellen in an undercard bout. The Brazilian has amassed a perfect 9-0 record, defeating the likes of Rebecca Ruth, Alejandra Lara and Kristina Williams in her short time in the organization. The 33-year-old is a southpaw who is making improvements in the striking department between each fight. She stays composed on the feet, darting into the pocket to fire off a clean 1-2 combination and then retreating before a counter attack. She tends to make the mistake of keeping her chin high and was briefly rocked by Ruth for it, but she makes up for it with serious power, to which both Ruth and Williams succumbed. The Team Nogueira representative loves to target her opponent’s midsection with kicks. The undefeated fighter is a former Brazilian National judo champion but she doesn’t rely on her grappling too often. When she is forced to use it, she has good trips and throws and very heavy ground and pound.

Ellen sports a 5-2 professional record and is 3-2 inside the Bellator cage. At only 23-years-old, she has plenty of time and room to grow. The Sao Paulo native is a fluid Muay Thai practitioner but is short for the weight class. The Brazilian might not have the length and reach, but she does possess great hand speed and footwork. She likes to be constantly moving, dodging attacks laterally while exploding into range to land shots and then quickly avoiding her opponent’s strikes. Some of her most effective strikes are her looping overhand right, step-in elbow and calf kick. While she is very athletic, she lacks power. Ellen will occasionally look for a takedown, which she sets up by simply bulling her way into the clinch. If she gets her opponent to the canvas, it usually comes from a body-lock and inside trip. Once on top, Ellen prefers to sit in her counterpart’s guard and just posture up with strikes instead of looking for a submission.

I am not crazy about this matchup. Ellen is very young and needs to polish her skills against low-level fodder rather than a serious contender like Velasquez. The former Kung Fu National champion will have the distinct speed and athletic advantage against Velasquez but will be giving up size and power. I expect that to be too much for her, as she loses the majority of the exchanges. Velasquez by unanimous decision.

Continue Reading » Stots vs. Leialoha