Bellator champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Veta Arteaga slated for co-main of MacDonald vs. Fitch card

MMAfighting.com

Bellator’s show on April 27 will be a championship doubleheader.

Flyweight titleholder Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is set to make the third defense of her belt when she meets Veta Arteaga in the co-main event of the San Jose card. MMA Fighting confirmed the matchup Saturday following an initial report by MMA Junkie.

The April 27 event is already headlined by Rory MacDonald’s upcoming 170-pound title defense against Jon Fitch, which serves as a quarterfinal tilt for Bellator’s welterweight grand prix.

Macfarlane (9-0) has won all eight of her appearances under the Bellator banner, six of which she finished via submission. She first captured the flyweight title in 2017 with a fifth-round triangle armbar over Emily Ducote, then scored successful defenses with back-to-back third-round stoppages over Alejandra Lara and Valerie Letourneau, the latter of which headlined Bellator’s debut trip to Macfarlane’s native Hawaii.

Arteaga (5-2), meanwhile, has won four of her six Bellator outings, including recent back-to-back wins over Ducote and Denise Kielholtz.

Bellator’s April 27 event takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.