Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defends flyweight title vs. Alejandra Lara in Bellator 201 main event

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s first title defense is set.

The 27-year-old Bellator flyweight champion will take on Columbia’s Alejandra Lara in the main event of Bellator 201 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., on June 29. Officials confirmed the bout with MMA Fighting following a report by FOX Sports Argentina.

Macfarlane (7-0) captured the title last November with a fifth-round submission win over Emily Ducote. This will be the Hawaiian’s first main event since joining Bellator back in August 2015.

The 23-year-old Lara is undefeated in her lone Bellator appearance, a third-round submission win over Lena Ovchynnikova, which took place in Florence, Italy, last December. “Azul” is 7-1 as a professional, with six of those wins coming by way of knockout or submission.

Also booked for the June 29 show is a flyweight bout between one-time UFC strawweight title contender Valerie Letourneau (9-6) and Bruna Ellen (4-1)

Letourneau made the move back up to 125 pounds for her promotional debut this past December at Bellator 191, where she defeated Kate Jackson by unanimous decision. That win snapped a three-fight skid for the 34-year-old veteran, which included losses to Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Joanne Calderwood, and Viviane Pereira.

Brazil’s Ellen, 21, has won two straight bouts inside the Bellator cage. In her most recent outing in August 2017, she defeated Veta Arteaga by split decision.