Ilima-Lei Macfarlane taps out Valerie Letourneau in Bellator main event
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane retained her flyweight world title with a third-round submission of Valerie Letourneau in the main event of Bellator 213 on Saturday night.
A sell-out crowd of 6,500 at Blaisdell Arena exploded in cheers when Letourneau tapped out to a triangle choke at 3 minutes, 19 seconds of the third round.
Macfarlane (9-0) tied a Bellator record with her sixth submission victory and successfully defended her 125-pound belt for the second time.
Letourneau dropped to 10-7 in her career.
“This is the best night of my life and it’s because of you guys,” Macfarlane told the crowd after the fight.