INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Bellator flyweight champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has won big fights before, but there was something different about her homecoming headliner at Bellator 213. Before a sold-out crowd of Hawaiian fans, many of whom went to school with her, Macfarlane faced immense pressure and rose to the occasion. Against her most high-profile opponent to date, onetime UFC strawweight challenger Valerie Letourneau, she earned a third-round submission to notch her second title defense. “I think it was a huge self-confidence booster,” she said backstage at Saturday’s Bellator 214, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. “I’ve struggled with that my entire career.
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Bellator champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane: Hawaii win ‘was a huge self-confidence booster’ – MMA Junkie