Bellator to return to Hawaii for two-day double-header in April

The Bellator cage is returning to Hawaii with a huge double-header of events on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22.

Both events will take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, with a pair of title fights set to take center stage.

Bellator 294 will kick off proceedings on April 21, with reigning flyweight champion Liz Carmouche set to put her 125-pound title on the line against No. 4-ranked contender DeAnna Bennett.

Carmouche captured the title from Juliana Velasquez, then defeated her again in the rematch to cement her position at the women’s flyweight summit. Now the former UFC bantamweight title challenger will put her title on the line against Bennett in a rematch of their matchup at Bellator 246 in September 2020.

Both Carmouche and Bennett made their respective Bellator debuts in that bout, which Carmouche won via third-round rear-naked choke. Now they’re set to face off again with championship gold on the line.

Also set for action are heavyweights Tim Johnson and Said Sowma, who are set to face off in the co-main event. There’s also a women’s featherweight contenders bout between former UFC title challenger Sara McMann and former Bellator title challenger Arlene Blencowe.

The following night, Bellator 295 features the finals of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, with interim 135-pound champion Raufeon Stots set to take on Patchy Mix in the tournament final, while former women’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane faces off against Japanese contender Kana Watanabe.

In addition to the two main card bouts, six preliminary card matchups have also been confirmed, including a lightweight bout between Hawaii’s own Yancy Medeiros and England’s Charlie Leary. Three other Hawaiians are also booked to compete on the card, with Keoni Diggs, Kai Kamaka III and Sumiko Inaba all set for action.