A new prospect has arrived in Bellator MMA, this week, the Brazilian bantamweight fighter Juliana Velasquez (5-0) announced on her social media, that she has signed a multi-fight deal with the American MMA organization.
The 30-year-old former judoka is undefeated and fights out of Team Nogueira.
“A big step and big conquest in my career. I want to thankful all people that support me in next step. I’m proud to announce that I am a Bellator fighter,” wrote Juliana on her Instagram account.
In Brazil, Velasquez is most known for her part played in a polemic story about a fight between herself and male fighter Emerson Falcão, promoted by Shooto Brazil in 2013.
After receiving a ton of criticism from the combat sports community for the promotion of a fight between a man and woman, the promotion revealed the real reason for the event was to raise awareness and attention for a campaign about violence against woman. Obviously, the fight never took place.
Being compared to the judo style of Ronda Rousey in her native country, Juliana tries to avoid that by saying she is more aggressive and use more power in her fights.
Bellator have yet to officially announce the news, and the Brazilian prospect does not yet have a fight scheduled.
