It’s safe to say Bellator’s Hawaii debut went swimmingly.
On Saturday night, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, the second leg of Bellator’s doubleheader went down, with the budding star, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, retaining her flyweight title with a third-round triangle choke submission of Valerie Letourneau in the main event of Bellator 213.
Things started off well as the hometown hero had an incredible walkout, highlighting her Hawaiian heritage and amping up the crowd. That excitement was short-lived, however, as the first round was largely a feeling out process for both women. Things started picking up in the second when Macfarlane secured a takedown and the two scrambled around for a bit with the champion getting the better of the grappling, but when the returned to their feet, Letourneau outworked her and built up an early lead.