Julia Budd to Defend Featherweight Crown vs. Arlene Blencowe in Bellator 189 Main Event

Julia Budd will defend her featherweight title for the first time against Arlene Blencowe in the Bellator 189 headliner on Dec. 1.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Friday night. Bellator 189 takes place at Winstar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., and will also see Chris Honeycutt face Rafael Lovato Jr. in the middleweight co-main event. The card will air on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, with prelims streaming immediately prior on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App.

Budd and Blencowe initially squared off at Bellator 162, where Budd captured a majority decision. The Strikeforce veteran then captured the inaugural 145-pound belt with a fourth-round technical knockout triumph against Marloes Coenen at Bellator 174 on March 3 for her eighth consecutive victory.

After losing to Budd, Blencowe has won three straight fights. Most recently, the 34-year-old Australian took a split verdict over Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 182 on April 25. “Angerfist” is 10-6 as a professional overall, including a 3-2 mark under the Bellator MMA banner.