Cris Cyborg to defend Bellator title vs. Arlene Blencowe on Oct. 15
Cris Cyborg (22-2-0) is back.
Bellator MMA president Scott Coker confirmed while speaking on CBS Sports HQ on Friday that Cyborg will defend the promotion's featherweight title versus Australian Arlene Blencowe (13-7) in the main event of the Bellator 249 show held on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
As Brian Campbell of CBS Sports wrote, the announcement came as part of Bellator's move from Paramount Network to CBS Sports Network:
Cyborg, 35, lost the UFC featherweight strap to Amanda Nunes in a champion-versus-champion match at UFC 232 in December 2018. The Brazilian then defeated Felicia Spencer via unanimous decision the subsequent July before making the jump to Bellator, where she beat Julia Budd for that organization's featherweight championship last January.
It's expected Bellator will push Cyborg as the face of its women's divisions.
Blencowe, meanwhile, is on a three-fight win streak. She last defeated Leslie Smith via unanimous decision in November 2019.
More must-reads: