Julia Budd expects to fight for inaugural featherweight title with Bellator 146 win

Julia Budd

The Bellator women’s featherweight division has been in existence for less than one year, and Julia Budd thinks it’s about time to crown a champion.

Budd (7-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) believes a victory over Roberta Paim Rovel (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at Friday’s Bellator 146 event on Friday should be enough to put her in position to fight for that title. She’s not sure if that will be the case but said the chance to fight for a belt is one of her driving motivations.

“I’ve got to get through this next fight, but then I think I’ll fight for the belt,” Budd told MMAjunkie. “I’ve heard they want to do that this year. They want a fight for the belt.”

Bellator 146 takes place at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. Budd vs. Paim Rovel airs on the MMAjunkie.com-streamed preliminary card prior to the main card on Spike.

The most logical opponent for Budd in a potential inaugural 145-pound title fight is Marloes Coenen (23-6 MMA, 2-0 BMMA). Outside of Budd, the former Strikeforce champion is the most credentialed female fighter that Bellator has signed to its roster.

Budd said she was actually in discussions to fight Coenen for the title this year, but the fight fell apart when the Dutch fighter opted to have surgery.

“It’s been a while since we were supposed to fight, and it just seemed like it was always the wrong time to fight each other,” Budd said. “She decided to have surgery, and I didn’t want to sit out and wait for that. It was a back-and-forth game, but I definitely I think in the future I would love to fight her.”

Although dreams of a title push Budd to work harder, she’s aware her performance will be the ultimate decider. Having just celebrated the five-year anniversary of her MMA debut, Budd said she feels her complete skillset has come together during training camp and feels ready to deliver her most complete fight to date.

“I’ve just been training nonstop, and I’ve got the confidence now everywhere,” Budd said. “When I first started, I was a muay Thai fighter, and I would just want to keep the fight standing and wasn’t confident in my ground skills. Now I feel like I’m equal in my wrestling to my standup to my submissions. I’m dangerous everywhere now, and it’s all coming together.”

Budd hasn’t fought since Bellator 133 in February, when she suffered a broken toe during her Bellator-debut victory over Gabrielle Holloway. The 10-month layoff is of little concern to Budd, she said, because it’s actually a much quicker return to action than the 14-month break she experienced prior to the fight with Holloway.

“It’s just about finding my groove again and being able to capitalize on where I’m dominant,” Budd said. “I’m hungry for a finish. I don’t want to go the distance.”

The majority of the attention ahead of the fight is focused on Budd. “The Jewel” is not thrown off by it, she said, because nothing will distract her from her current opponent. The title-fight discussion is exciting and motivating, but Budd said she won’t get there without an effective showing in the cage.

“I never underestimate who I’m fighting; it happens a lot in the MMA game that when you underestimate somebody, certain people thrive being the underdog,” Budd said. “I’ve watched her fights and basically I feel I’m ready for everything. I want to go out on Friday night and showcase the best me I can. I look forward to being one of the faces to watch in this division.”

For more on Bellator 146, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.