Teenaged wunderkind Erin Blanchfield and Bellator MMA veteran Ilima-Lei Macfarlane were the last competitors standing in their respective Eddie Bravo Invitational 12 tournaments on Sunday in Los Angeles.
The 18-year-old Blanchfield kicked off her run with a rear-naked choke submission on Livia Gluchowska, dispatched Katherine Shen with an armbar in the quarterfinals and then disposed of Lila Smadja with the same maneuver in the semis. That set up the showdown with McComb, who had eliminated Kayla Patterson, Gabby Romero and Talita Alencar on her way to the final.
Meanwhile, MacFarlane became the first EBI women’s flyweight combat jiu-jitsu champion, as she submitted Celina Haga with a kimura in their tournament final. The win brought with it $2,500 in prize money for the Hawaiian.
MacFarlane needed extra time to vanquish Brooke Mayo in the semifinals, where she transitioned from an armbar to a triangle choke to secure the tapout in overtime. Haga also went to overtime in her semifinal pairing with Amy Montenegro. The Jackson-Wink MMA representative tapped Montenegro with a rear-naked choke.