Julia Budd left her mark contained in the Bellator cage.
The present Skilled Fighters League (PFL) Featherweight contender spent six years in Bellator, the place she made historical past because the promotion’s first girls’s champion at 145 kilos. Budd did basically all she may in Bellator, defeating all comers and defending her title thrice earlier than met with Cris “Cyborg” Justino in January 2020.
Canada’s Budd, 40, made her PFL debut in October 2021 and has fought 4 occasions since. She gained’t proceed perpetually, although. In current months, rumors have escalated closely round the way forward for Bellator, main many to imagine PFL will doubtless take in it. For the Featherweight legend, Budd can’t assist however stick round for another 12 months regardless of having been there and completed that in combined martial arts (MMA).
“Not lengthy,” Budd instructed MMA Mania of her time left in MMA. “Clearly, god-willing, I really feel nice, however I actually wished this struggle to occur earlier than I retired. I feel that it ought to have occurred proper once I got here to PFL. That is the struggle that ought to have occurred and I wish to struggle for subsequent 12 months. I’m hoping to be within the season then grasp up the gloves after that.
“On the similar time, issues change, and all I do know is I’m 100% going into this struggle and this is among the fights I would like earlier than the tip of my profession,” she added. “I wish to be certain I fought all people, all of the challenges, that’s simply been my story.
“I feel it could be so enjoyable and that’s sort of what I’m imagining in my thoughts,” Budd concluded about Bellator. “A few of the fights that I didn’t get to struggle in Bellator, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that is gonna be superior.’ Tremendous enthusiastic about [it]. That’s the place I’m at proper now (laughs).”
When the previous champion, Budd, made her leap between promotions, the plain match as much as make was with the previous two-time Light-weight champion, Kayla Harrison. Not undefeated after her title tilt reverse Larissa Pacheco (watch highlights) final 12 months (Nov. 25, 2022), Harrison will look to rebound in opposition to Budd on the 2023 PFL Championship in Washington D.C. on Nov. 25, 2023.
“The Jewel” is simply blissful the struggle is occurring in any respect as they had been initially booked for July 2022.
“General emotions, I’m tremendous excited,” Budd mentioned. “I’m centered on clearly me, bettering, being harmful in every single place. I feel that she’s had her loss final 12 months, it was an in depth struggle, however I feel that might have lit a brand new fireplace beneath her and he or she may — I don’t know the way it’s affected her. I don’t actually know her in any respect, however you understand what I imply.
“She was 15-0 earlier than that and I look ahead to testing my abilities in opposition to her strengths and her weaknesses,” she concluded.
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