One of MMA's most dominant fighters returns to action on Thursday night as Cris Cyborg defends her women's featherweight championship against Arlene Blencowe in the main event of Bellator 249 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
After a tenuous three-year stint in the UFC, Cyborg made her promotional debut at the beginning of 2020 in January at Bellator 238, beating Julia Budd via fourth-round TKO to capture the 145-pound title and become the first woman to win a belt in four major MMA organizations. Now, the 35-year-old looks to continue to cement her legacy as one of the all-time great women's fighters.
But Blencowe stands in the way of Cyborg continuing that journey. The former professional boxer left the sweet science in 2015 to put her full attention to mixed martial arts. This will be the second time Blencowe has challenged for featherweight gold as she lost a split decision to Budd at Bellator 189 in December 2017. Blencowe bounced back to reel off three consecutive wins, two of those by way of stoppage to earn another crack at the gold.
Bellator 249 is all about Cyborg, but Blencowe presents a formidable challenge. She comes to compete and will stay in Cyborg's space throughout the entire contest. Will that be enough to be able to pull off the massive upset?
Here is everything you need to know about Bellator 249: Cyborg vs. Blencowe.
When is Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 249?
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 15
- Prelims: 7:15 p.m. ET
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET
Bellator 249 takes place on Thursday, Oct. 15. Prelims get underway at 7:15 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 10 p.m. ET. Cyborg and Blencowe should start about 11:30 p.m. ET, but the time depends on the length of the earlier fights.
How to watch Bellator 249: Cyborg vs. Blencowe TV, live stream info
In the United States, the Bellator 249 prelims and main card are available on DAZN. The main card is also available on CBS Sports Network.
In Canada, Bellator 249 is available on DAZN.
In Germany, the main card (4:00 a.m. CEST) is available on DAZN.
Find out more about how to watch on DAZN by clicking here.
Where is Bellator 249?
Bellator 249: Cyborg and Blencowe will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It is the first time Cyborg and Blencowe will compete at the venue.
Cris Cyborg record, bio
- Name: Cris Cyborg
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Born: July 9, 1985
- Height: 5-8
- Reach: 68 inches
- Total fights: 25
- Record: 22-2, one no-contest
Arlene Blencowe record, bio
- Name: Arlene Blencowe
- Nationality: Australian
- Born: April 11, 1983
- Height: 5-5
- Reach: 66 inches
- Total fights: 20
- Record: 13-7
Bellator 249: Cyborg vs. Blencowe fight card
Main card
- Cris Cyborg (c) vs. Arlene Blencowe for Cyborg's Women's Featherweight title
- Patricky Freire vs. Jeleel Willis; Lightweight
- Ricky Bandejas vs. Leandro Higo; Bantamweight
- Saad Awad vs. Mandel Nallo; Lightweight
Preliminary card
- Curtis Millender vs. Joe Schilling; Middleweight
- Albert Gonzales vs. Kastriot Xhema; Welterweight
- Christian Edwards vs. Hamza Salim; Light Heavyweight
- Kyle Crutchmer vs. Kemran Lachinov; Welterweight
- Joseph Creer vs. Andrew Kapal; Middleweight
- Mike Kimbel vs. Da'mon Blackshear; Catchweight (140 lb)
- Steve Mowry vs. Shawn Teed; Heavyweight
- Aviv Gozali vs. Logan Neal; Lightweight