Julia Budd didn't get off to the most exciting start in Bellator MMA, but six fights in she's undefeated, and a two-time defending champion.
At Bellator 202 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, Budd finally squared off with Talita Nogueira in a fight originally scheduled years ago. Due to various situations, Nogueira, signed by Bellator since August 2014, had only fought once for the company going into Friday night. That showed with her performance in the cage.
After a sloppy output by the challenger, Budd dropped Noguiera with a big hook, and followed with ground and pound in round three for the victory. You can see an excerpt from our Fightful.com live coverage below:
Round Three: The round begins with Nogueira taking a few swings at Budd, Budd goes back to attacking Nogueira with leg kicks. Budd backs Nogueira into the cage wall with a striking combination, Budd lands strikes while holding Nogueira against the cage wall. Nogueira pulls guard and Budd gets top position on the ground, Budd postures up before cracking Nogueira with a right. Budd attacks Nogueira with a lot of ground and pound, Budd gets up and she allows Nogueira to stand up as well. Budd comes forward and she cracks Nogueira with a left hook, Budd drops Nogueira with a right and she pounces on her with more strikes until the referee jumps in.
Official Result: Julia Budd def. #2 Talita Nogueira
After the fight, Budd expressed her desire to take on Sinead Kavanaugh for the former's championship.
Also on the show, former UFC title challenger Michael McDonald found himself in a familiar situation...victorious, but also with a broken hand. Hand and wrist injuries have cost "Mayday" three years of his career at only 27-years old, and he revealed that he broke his left hand during his impressive TKO win over Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas.
After seeing the replay of Dantas' grisly ankle injury upon being struck, McDonald winced. He also stated he wasn't sure how long he could keep competing in MMA if he kept breaking his body to do it. In the past, McDonald has told Fightful that he earns a full-time living off of woodworking.
You can see full Bellator 202 results at this link.
Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA
