MMA News: Bellator Flyweight overlooked by Scott Coker might not get title shot against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane

Juliana Velasquez has been making her name in the Bellator Women's Flyweight division, so much so, that she has attracted the attention of the current Champion, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane.

However, she still might not get a title shot.

Scott Coker denies Juliana Velasquez a title shot

At Bellator's headliner in Hawaii this past Saturday, Macfarlane was successful in her title defense against Kate Jackson via a Unanimous Decision. The win for Macfarlane had been preceded by a big win by Juliana Velasquez, who defeated Bruna Ellen. With that win, Velasquez has won five consecutive fights.

Given this success, Ilima Lei-Macfarlane wanted to give the contender a title shot and said post-fight that she was "100 percent" sure that Velasquez should be the next challenger.

Despite this, Bellator President Scott Coker has voiced a different opinion regarding this.

He said that Velasquez has potential, but he does not think she is ready for a title fight. He said that the result would have been very different if the win had come via a Knockout or a Stoppage. He said that she needed to finish.

For the moment, the next title challenger is going to be determined by the fact if an 8 or 16-fighter tournament in the Bellator Women's Flyweight division comes to fruition or not in 2020. No decided plans are in place yet, but Coker said that the idea was looking "a little more attractive to me every time I speak to my team and think about it myself". Given this outlook, the Champion might not get the opponent she wants in her next fight.

For now, the option has been left open and Velasquez might very well get a shot at Macfarlane in the tournament.