Julia Budd to Defend Bellator Featherweight Belt vs. Cris ‘Cyborg’ on Jan. 25

As expected, Cristiane Justino will challenge Julia Budd for the Bellator featherweight title in her promotional debut.

Budd and “Cyborg” will square off at a Bellator event at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 25. Their bout is expected to be the headliner for the card. The California-based promotion has yet to formally confirm the matchup, but an announcement is likely to occur during the Bellator 228 broadcast on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Times was first to report the booking.

Since leaving Strikeforce on the heels of a loss to Ronda Rousey, Budd has won 11 consecutive bouts in Invicta FC and Bellator. She claimed Bellator’s inaugural featherweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of Marloes Coenen in March 2017 and has since successfully defended the belt with wins over Arlene Blencowe, Talita Nogueira and Olga Rubin.

Justino ended a contentious relationship with the UFC earlier this year to reunite with Scott Coker in Bellator. The heavy-handed Brazilian suffered the her first defeat since 2005 when she was knocked out in the opening stanza by Amanda Nunes in a featherweight title clash at UFC 232 but rebounded to outpoint Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 in her final Octagon appearance.