A women’s strawweight division encounter has been added to this months Bellator 201 card as Keri Melendez is going to be in action against Tiani Valle.
Melendez (1-0-0) made her professional MMA debut almost two years ago at Bellator 165, defeating Sheila Padilla by first round TKO. Melendez was supposed to compete at Bellator 180 in 2017, but injuries caused the fighter to get pulled from the card. Melendez may be light when it comes to MMA experience, but she is a highly regarded kickboxing star who has competed under the Bellator Kickboxing banner.
Valle (1-0-0) made her professional MMA debut almost two years ago as well, defeating Sam Hughes by unanimous decision at X-1 MMA 44 in September of 2016. Valle also went undefeated during her time as an amateur MMA fighter, defeating Allena Cook, Jodi Poouahi-Cummings and Jennifer Penfield. Valle has seen three of her four amateur/pro MMA bouts go the distance, with just one fight ending via knockout.
Bellator 201 takes place on Friday, June 29 from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California with Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and Alejandra Lara headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on the Paramount Network.
