Bellator MMA now has their very first women’s featherweight champion as Julia Budd stopped Marloes Coenen with strikes in the fourth round of their Bellator 174 marquee matchup. Following her loss, the 17-year MMA pioneer Coenen announced her retirement from the sport, while the 26-year-old Cody Pfister also announced his departure from professional cage fighting. The co-main event on the night saw Fernando Gonzalez take a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Girtz in a fight that was a lot closer than the scorecards might indicate.
Julia Budd secured a takedown in the first minute of the fight, right in front of her corner.