Rivalries: Juliana Velasquez

Juliana Velasquez has come a long way since her father introduced her to the judo mats at the tender age of four. A lost dream of representing Brazil in the Olympic judo team at 28 catalyzed a transformative pivot towards the pursuit of mixed martial arts glory, where her skills found fertile ground. Nearly a decade later, Velasquez is renowned as a distinguished figure in women’s mixed martial arts with several accolades under her belt. The Brazilian is scheduled to take on Liz Carmouche at the upcoming PFL event on April 4. Ahead of the high-stake clash, we take a look at some of the most important rivalries of her professional career.

Rosy Duarte

Velasquez made her professional debut in December 2014, taking on Priscila de Souza at Team Nogueira MMA Fight Live 4. She won the fight by unanimous decision and collected another convincing triumph over Talita Bernardo at Face to Face 11. The Brazilian got her maiden shot at championship glory when she took on Duarte at 1° Round Combat. She won the fight with an emphatic fifth-round technical knockout doctor stoppage victory and laid her hands on the organization’s vacant bantamweight title.

Na Liang

In 2017, Velasquez made her flyweight debut against Liang at Bellator 189. Up to that juncture, “Dragon Girl” had compiled a solid 12-1 record and had never been finished. The splendid run met its demise at the hands of Velasquez, who conquered the Chinese star with a second-round submission victory.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane

At Bellator 254, Velasquez locked horns with Macfarlane for the women’s flyweight world championship. Through five competitive rounds, Velasquez neutralized Macfarlane’s takedown attempts, delivering potent counterattacks at pivotal moments. The Brazilian’s physical dominance was evident throughout the clash, but she inflicted the most significant damage at the end of the third round, hurting her opponent with a stinging flying knee. In the end, the judges scored the bout 48-47 twice and 49-46 in Velasquez’s favor, making her the second women’s 125-pound champion in Bellator MMA history.

Liz Carmouche

Velasquez’s extensive rivalry with Carmouche is arguably her most storied one, though marked consistently by defeat. She first met the reigning divisional queen at Bellator 278. Velasquez, who was undefeated till then, relied heavily on her boxing skills, while Carmouche found early success with leg kicks. As the bout entered the fourth round after fairly contested three rounds, Carmouche led the offense and took the fight to the canvas. She quickly transitioned to the crucifix position and landed several short elbows on Velasquez. Referee Mike Beltran saw enough and jumped in, a decision that her team appealed on the grounds of refereeing error, but the appeal was denied by the Hawaii State Boxing Commission.

While the result wasn’t overturned, Velasquez got a chance at redemption at Bellator 289. However, the second fight proved to be a decisively conclusive affair, as Carmouche dispelled any lingering ambiguity with a second-round submission win. Yet, over a year later, the pair will meet again, this time under the Professional Fighters League banner.