Bellator San Diego Update: Melendez-Inaba Among Multiple Bouts Booked

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHTS! 💪

🇺🇸 Keri Melendez 🆚 Sumiko Inaba 🇺🇸 @KeriMelendez415 returns to the Bellator Cage on September 7th, where she puts her undefeated record on the line against Sumiko Inaba! 🔥@sumikoinaba will be looking to give Keri her first loss at #BellatorSanDiego.… pic.twitter.com/gv27pHIP2S

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 11, 2024

A pair of talented Bellator MMA flyweights will grace the cage at the Pechanga Arena this September.

The promotion released a number of fights this week, bolstering a lineup for a show held on Sept. 7 in San Diego. The first of three for this next Bellator Champions Series event comes at 125 pounds between flyweights Keri Melendez (6-0) and Sumiko Inaba (7-1). MMA Junkie first broke the news of this pairing, with Bellator locking it down shortly thereafter.

Melendez, 40, has put together an unbeaten record since debuting in the sport in 2016. The former kickboxer has seen her whole career take place under the Bellator banner, first appearing at Bellator 165 against Sheila Padilla. The Skrap Pack representative has been fairly inactive as of late, competing once since 2020 when she tapped out Sabriye Sengul via guillotine choke. The win, like the one before against Emilee King, was marred as Melendez could not properly make weight.

Once-beaten Inaba bounced back from her first pro loss—a decision setback against former title challenger Denise Kielholtz—by taking a split nod over Saray Orozco when shared with parent company Professional Fighters League this June. That appearance marked the first time Inaba had fought for any promotion other than Bellator as a pro, although they are owned by the same company now. Before falling short to Kielholtz, Inaba strung together six straight wins, notably claiming a decision over Veta Arteaga and submitting Randi Field.

Additionally, according to Hawaiian outlet KHON 2 on Thursday, Yancy Medeiros (16-8, 2 NC) will be squaring off with Armenia’s Zhora Ayvazyan (14-1) at this same event. The two lightweights will likely toe the line on the prelims. It will serve as Medeiros’ first outing in over a year, as he strangled Charlie Leary at Bellator 295 and then saw the win overturned after failing a post-fight drug test. His foe Ayvazyan has seen even less activity as of late, as he last competed at Eagle FC 51 in 2022 and put himself on a five-fight win streak. Should the bout come to fruition, it will be the 29-year-old’s first match in the Western Hemisphere.

Finally, Bellator announced a middleweight contest for Bellator San Diego on Friday between Jordan Newman (6-0) and Imamshafi Aliev (9-0). “Not Human” has developed entirely under the Bellator umbrella, with six fights since 2019 all going his way. Newman has finished four of those opponents within two rounds. Standing across the cage from him will be Dagestan native Aliev, who made a brief splash in Bellator by slashing up Sean Connor Fallon with elbows in late 2022—but he has not fought since then.