Pinay MMA Fighter Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton
Heather Hardy won’t be the only popular female boxer fighting for Bellator MMA later this month.
Ana Julaton will make her Bellator debut against Lisa Blaine at Bellator 185 on Oct. 20 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, promotion officials told MMA Fighting on Thursday. Hardy will face Kristina Williams on the same card.
Julaton (2-2) signed with Bellator last month. She’s a former two-time women’s super bantamweight champion in boxing. Julaton, 37, made a move into MMA — like Hardy she still competes in boxing — for ONE Championship in 2014. The San Francisco native told MMA Fighting in September that she's hoping to fight Hardy at some point during their tenures with Bellator.
“For sure, 100 percent,” Julaton said. “She got some titles in boxing, I’ve won some world titles in boxing and I think a lot of people would like to see some knockouts, so you put us in the cage.
“At the end of it, I feel like I’ll get there first. We won’t know until the fight actually happens. We need to get this going.”
Blaine (1-0) made her pro MMA debut with a second-round knockout win over Tammy Worrick at Premier FC 23 in June. The Connecticut native went 3-2 as an amateur.
As for Hardy, she debuted in MMA with Bellator at Madison Square Garden in June. The Brooklyn native beat Alice Yauger by third-round TKO. Hardy, 35, is the current WBC International female super bantamweight champion in boxing.