Juliana Velasquez
BornJuliana Velasquez Tonasse
(1986-10-19) October 19, 1986
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
NationalityBrazilian
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
DivisionFlyweight
Reach67+1⁄2 in (171 cm)
StyleJudo
StanceSouthpaw
Fighting out ofRio de Janeiro, Brazil
TeamTeam Nogueira
RankBlack belt in Judo
Years active2014–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total14
Wins12
By knockout4
By submission2
By decision6
Losses2
By knockout1
By submission1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Juliana Velasquez Tonasse (born October 19, 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the flyweight division of Bellator MMA,[1] where she is the former Bellator Women's Flyweight World Champion. As of April 26, 2022, she is #3 in the Bellator Women's pound-for-pound Rankings and #1 in the Bellator Women's Flyweight Rankings.[2]

Background

Juliana Velasquez's father introduced her to the judo mats when she was only four years old. The young carioca entered high-level competition 11 years later, capturing a few medals in the South American judo circuit. After failing to win a spot on the Brazilian Olympic Judo team, at the age of 28, she decided to try her luck in the mixed martial arts world.[3]

In 2013, she gained attention in Brazil for her part played in a polemic story about a fight between herself and male fighter Emerson Falcão, promoted by Shooto Brazil. After receiving a ton of criticism from the combat sports community for the promotion of a fight between a man and a woman, the promotion revealed the real reason for the event was to raise awareness and bring attention to a campaign about violence against women and that the bout wasn't actually going to take place.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Making her debut in 2014, Velasquez won her amateur debut via second-round submission, later that year, kicking off her professional career with a decision victory in a Rio de Janeiro regional promotion. She won her next 4 fights, collecting a 5–0 record, in the process also winning the 1RC Vacant Bantamweight Championship and defending it once. She was eventually offered a multi fight contract with Bellator MMA.[4]

Bellator MMA

Juliana made her Bellator debut against Na Liang at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. She won the fight via second round armbar.[5]

Juliana faced Rebecca Ruth at Bellator 197 on April 13, 2018. She won the fight via front kick to the body in the third round.[6]

In her third fight for the promotion, Velasquez faced Alejandra Lara at Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. She won the fight via split decision.[7]

Juliana faced Kristina Williams at Bellator 224 on July 12, 2019. She won the fight via TKO in the second round.[8]

Juliana faced Bruna Ellen at Bellator 236 on December 21, 2019. She won the fight via unanimous decision.[9]

Bellator Women's Flyweight World Champion

Juliana faced undefeated flyweight champ, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, on December 10, 2020 at Bellator 254.[10] She won the fight and the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship via unanimous decision.[11]

Juliana made her first title defense against Denise Kielholtz on July 16, 2021 at Bellator 262.[12] She won the bout by split decision.[13]

Velasquez attempted to defend her title against Liz Carmouche on April 22, 2022 at Bellator 278.[14] She lost the bout and the title via elbows from crucifix at the end of the fourth round.[15] Following the bout, Velasquez's team appealed the result on the grounds of refereeing error made by Mike Beltran, but the appeal was denied by the Hawaii State Boxing Commission.[16]

In a title rematch, Velasquez faced Liz Carmouche again on December 9, 2022 at Bellator 289.[17] She lost the fight via an armbar submission in the second round.[18]

Velasquez was scheduled to face Paula Cristina on November 17, 2023 at Bellator 301.[19] The week of the event, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons.[20]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
14 matches 12 wins 2 losses
By knockout 4 1
By submission 1 1
By decision 7 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 12–2 Liz Carmouche Submission (armbar) Bellator 289 December 9, 2022 2 4:24 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States For the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship.
Loss 12–1 Liz Carmouche TKO (elbows) Bellator 278 April 22, 2022 4 4:47 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Lost the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship.
Win 12–0 Denise Kielholtz Decision (split) Bellator 262 July 16, 2021 5 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Defended the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship.
Win 11–0 Ilima-Lei Macfarlane Decision (unanimous) Bellator 254 December 10, 2020 5 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Won the Bellator Women's Flyweight World Championship.
Win 10–0 Bruna Ellen Decision (unanimous) Bellator 236 December 21, 2019 3 5:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 9–0 Kristina Williams TKO (punches) Bellator 224 July 12, 2019 2 4:03 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win 8–0 Alejandra Lara Decision (split) Bellator 212 December 14, 2018 3 5:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 7–0 Rebecca Ruth KO (body kick) Bellator 197 April 13, 2018 3 0:19 St. Charles, Missouri, United States
Win 6–0 Na Liang Submission (armbar) Bellator 189 December 1, 2017 2 0:32 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Flyweight debut.
Win 5–0 Taynna Taygma Decision (unanimous) IKombat 1 November 12, 2016 3 5:00 Guarulhos, Brazil
Win 4–0 Elaine Albuquerque KO (punches) 1° Round Combat 2 May 6, 2016 1 3:55 Natal, Brazil Defended 1RC Vacant Bantamweight Championship.
Win 3–0 Rosy Duarte TKO (doctor stoppage) 1° Round Combat December 6, 2015 5 4:07 Fortaleza, Brazil Won the inaugural 1RC Vacant Bantamweight Championship.
Win 2–0 Talita Bernardo Decision (unanimous) Face to Face 11 April 24, 2015 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 1–0 Priscila de Souza Decision (unanimous) Team Nogueira MMA Fight Live 4 December 4, 2014 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Bantamweight debut.

[21]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 1–0 Lucelia Souza Submission (rear-naked choke) Talent Draft 1: São Paulo March 7, 2014 2 1:57 São Paulo, Brazil

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Juliana Velasquez". Bellator. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  2. ↑ "Bellator Rankings". www.bellator.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  3. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (Dec 14, 2018). "Unbeaten judoka Juliana Velasquez sees Bellator belt as an Olympic medal in MMA". www.mmafighting.com/.
  4. 1 2 Bruno Massami (March 24, 2017). "Undefeated Brazilian prospect Juliana Velasquez signs multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA". mmaplus.co.uk.
  5. ↑ Steve Juon (December 1, 2017). "Bellator 189 results: Live 'Budd vs Blencowe 2' streaming play-by-play updates TONIGHT on Spike". mmamania.com.
  6. ↑ Steve Juon (April 13, 2018). "Bellator 197 results: Live 'Chandler vs Girtz' streaming play-by-play updates". mmamania.com.
  7. ↑ "Bellator 212 results: Primus vs Chandler 2". mmafighting.com. December 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ Steve Juon (July 12, 2019). "Bellator 224 results, streaming play-by-play updates". mmamania.com.
  9. ↑ Steve Juon (December 22, 2019). "Bellator 236 results: Live streaming play-by-play updates for 'Macfarlane vs Jackson'". mmamania.com.
  10. ↑ MMA Junkie Staff (October 28, 2020). "Ilima-Lei Macfarlane puts title on line vs. Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 254 in December". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Steven Marrocco (December 10, 2020). "Bellator 254 results: Juliana Velasquez takes flyweight title from Ilima-Lei Macfarlane". mmafighting.com.
  12. ↑ "Velasquez to defend Bellator title vs. Kielholtz". ESPN.com. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  13. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2021-07-16). "Bellator 262 Results: Juliana Velasquez Retains in Razor-Thin Split Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  14. ↑ "Bellator 278 headliner set with Juliana Velasquez defending against Liz Carmouche". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2022-04-23). "Bellator 278: Liz Carmouche Claims Gold with Fourth-Round TKO of Juliana Velasquez". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  16. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (July 5, 2022). "Juliana Velasquez appeal of Bellator 278 title loss to Liz Carmouche denied by Hawaii commission". mmafighting.com.
  17. ↑ Cruz, Guilherme (2022-09-14). "Flyweight champion Liz Carmouche, Juliana Velasquez set to rematch at Bellator 289". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  18. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2022-12-09). "Bellator 289: Liz Carmouche Subs Juliana Velasquez, Eliminates Any Doubt as to Legitimacy of Title Reign". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  19. ↑ "Ex-champ Juliana Velasquez, Keri Melendez among new additions to Bellator 301 in Chicago". MMA Junkie. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  20. ↑ Guillen, Adam (2023-11-13). "Bellator 301 loses not one, but two fights on the same day". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  21. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Juliana Velasquez". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
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