Despite 'flaky' 145-pound peers, Bellator champ Julia Budd isn't worried about lack of contenders

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Bellator champion Julia Budd is confident there will be suitable competition for her 145-pound throne, but she’s not entirely happy with the state of her “flaky” division.

Budd (11-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) defended her title for the first time on Friday, when she took a controversial split decision over Arlene Blencowe (10-7 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) in Bellator 189’s headliner. It was a close call – certainly closer than she’d like – but ultimately it was enough to ensure Budd got to keep the belt she’d earned with a knockout of Marloes Coenen back in March.

“I was nervous for this one,” Budd told MMAjunkie after the bout, which aired on Spike from World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. “Because I see so many people become champion and lose their belt right away.

“And there was sort of this feeling of, ‘I really want to bring this belt home and finish off the year as champion, as I started the year.'”

With that one out of the way, Budd is now looking for a relatively quick turnaround. The champ has one fight left on her Bellator contract, which she’s hoping to do in March or April. After kicking off the year “with a great win,” Budd said, the plan is to re-sign.

Whom she’ll get to meet then, though, is a bit of a mystery. And it could be a tough one to crack given a division that doesn’t offer that many possibilities. But Budd, who’d already met (and beat) Blencowe before, isn’t particularly worried about that.

“I know there there are a couple – if (Talita Nogueira) gets her knee fixed up and figures that out, then she’s definitely up there,” Budd said. “There’s also some new 145-ers that are coming up. I was kind of hoping for a new person to study and fight, but I’m glad I got that out of the way.”

But she does have her concerns as to how invested her peers are in their own Bellator careers.

“It’s kind of embarrassing for the division when people miss weight by 10 pounds,” Budd said. “This is my profession, and this is what I treat as my job. It’s what I come to do. I take it very seriously, and I just feel like so many girls in this division are just kind of flaky. Missing weight by 10 pounds, and then some people went off on not having or having kids.

“It’s fine. But maybe wait until after – don’t get signed with Bellator and then take a maternity leave. This division is kind of – it’s flaky, but there are definitely some good contenders coming up and I’ll keep my eye out.”

To hear from Budd, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of Bellator 189, check out the MMA Events section of the site.