Julia Budd has finally captured a major championship in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Tonight (March 3) Bellator 174 took place inside the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The main event featured the inaugural Bellator women’s featherweight title bout between Budd and Marloes Coenen. “The Jewel” came into the contest on a seven-fight winning streak. Coenen had the experience edge with 31 professional MMA bouts and having held Strikeforce gold before.
By the end of the night, it was Budd who walked out of the Bellator cage a champion. Budd once competed for Strikeforce, but she didn’t hit her stride until her submission loss to Ronda Rousey. Since then, “The Jewel” has been on a tear and is now one of the top female featherweights in the sport.
Meanwhile, Coenen announced her retirement after the fight. She thanked her supporters and Bellator President Scott Coker for always believing women could thrive in the sport of MMA.
You can see the full Bellator 174 results below:
Main Card
Julia Budd def. Marloes Coenen via TKO (strikes) – Round 4, 2:42
Fernando Gonzalez def. Brandon Girtz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-26)
Justin Wren def. Roman Pizzolato via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:35
Rafael Lovato def. Charles Hackmann via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:13
Prelims
Emmanuel Rivera def. Treston Thomison via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Cody Pfister def. Jonathan Gary via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:04
Emily Ducote def. Katy Collins via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:53
Gabrielle Holloway def. Alexis Dufresne via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:53
Justin Patterson def. Jason Witt via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:13
