Ilima-Lei Macfarlane isn’t riding on the Anastasia Yankova hype train.
Macfarlane is coming off a first-round submission finish over Jessica Middleton at Bellator 178. The win improved Macfarlane’s professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record to 6-0. Of those six victories, she has earned four finishes.
Yankova is another undefeated women’s flyweight prospect in Bellator. Her record stands at 5-0 and has three finishes. Her last bout was at Bellator 176, where she defeated Elina Kallionidou via unanimous decision.
Speaking with MMAJunkie.com, Macfarlane says she doesn’t get the hype surrounding Yankova:
“I was actually frustrated more with Anastasia because I think there are other women in the division who deserve more recognition than she does. All the girls in flyweight have kind of banded together on social media like, ‘What the (expletive)?’ I do my job, I get in there and do my job, and I feel like I already get enough attention and I back it up. I just think the Anastasia hype train – I think that’s bull(expletive), honestly. I think there are other girls in the division that are way tougher than her and go do their job, and they act like professionals. They deserve to be built up and get the recognition over her.”
