Bellator 31 preview: Female flyweights get set to advance to finals
Both women’s mixed martial arts and the lighter weight classes in general get much less attention than the heavier weight classes.
Thus it makes sense that the women’s flyweight (115lb) division is oft the most ignored in MMA. But at Bellator 31, the promotion’s attempts to crown an inaugural flyweight champion continue on national television
with two tournament semi-final fights on Thursday, as well as one other bout to round out the main card.
Megumi Fujii vs Lisa Ward
Fujii got to her place in the semis with a win over Carla Esparza by arm-bar in the first round of the tournament. But that doesn’t even begin to explain Fujii’s dominance of the division over the years.
She’s now 21-0 in her career, and only three opponents have made the final bell.
Her strategy has always been simple: shoot for a takedown, and then work her magnificent grappling to submit her opponents on the ground. Submissions account for 17 of her wins. She also already holds a win
over Ward from 2007, where, to no one’s surprise, she submitted Ward with an armbar.
Ward (14-5) came in as a very slight favourite in her first match of the tournament, and took a win over Aisling Daly by unanimous decision in August. She relies on a powerful wrestling game to try and win,
but she’ll be in deep over her head in this one.
Fujii is coming in as the favourite in this one, and it’s not hard to see why. She’s won the alphabet list of grappling tournaments in Japan, and should sub out Ward again here.
Odds: Fujii 1/5 Ward 4/1
Zoila Frausto vs Jessica Aguilar
In the first round of the tournament, Frausto defeated her opponent Jessica Pene by unanimous decision, taking all three rounds comfortably. She’d come in as roughly a 5-2 favourite for that one.
At 8-1, she’s come down twice in weight class to fight at the 115lb division, having originally started at 135lb. She’s one of the best prospects not to have fought Fujii, so a victory over Aguilar, and a
victory for Fujii would set up one of the biggest female flyweight fights in history.
Aguilar is the seventh ranked fighter in the division and defeated Lynn Alvarez in the opening round. She’s known for a solid ground-and-pound, but also has a variety of good submissions, racking up six of
her wins (she’s 9-3) in that way. She hasn’t lost since January 2009, racking up four wins in that span.
Odds: Frausto 6/11 Aguilar 8/5
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs Chris Lozano (170lb)
The lone male fight to appear on the televised portion of the television broadcast features UFC washout Yoshida (11-5.) He’s 2-3 in his last five fights, all of them in the UFC.
Lozano (5-0) is an upcoming prospect who’ll be looking to get his biggest win ever over a UFC vet like Yoshida. In his five fights none of his opponents have made the final bell, all of them falling to TKO.
With a more experienced fighter with lesser success facing a surging prospect, it’s anybody’s guess and bookmakers have this as a toss-up.
Odds: Yoshida 8/7, Lozano 8/7
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