| |
 |
|
Fujii takes on Ward at
Bellator 31
 (PRESS
RELEASE) -- The Bellator Season 3 Women’s Tournament continues in
Lake Charles, Louisiana as the undefeated #1 female fighter in the
world Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii (21-0) faces off against the fourth
ranked 115 pounder and dangerous veteran submission specialist Lisa
Ward (14-5-1) in semi-final action on September 30th to move one
step closer to becoming the first ever Bellator Women’s Champion.
The pair of top female fighters are far from strangers. In their
only other previous meeting, Fujii ended the fight early with a
controversial armbar submission. Nearly three years since the
outcome, Ward still doesn’t agree with the result.
“My loss to Megumi should have been a no contest,” said Ward. “The
fight was stopped because the referee thought I tapped and admitted
he never actually saw it. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but I
was defending properly and was in NO danger of submitting. Megumi is
a great competitor, but in this fight, I’m going to play my game,
and deliver her the first loss in her career.”
The confidence Ward exudes may be from her impressive victory over
the previously undefeated Aisling "Ash the Bash" Daly in the
Quarterfinals of the Women’s Tournament back at Bellator 26 in
dominating fashion.
While slightly worried about Daley's perfect record heading into the
fight, Ward took control of the fight right out of the gate, and
didn't let up until the final bell sounded.
“I was a bit intimidated by her perfect record, but when I saw the
caliber of her opponents I knew she was going to have a big test on
her hands with me,” said Ward. “No disrespect to any of her wins; I
just feel the girls I have fought are on a whole different level.
When I stepped in the ring, I became completely confident and knew
she would have to kill me before I would lose.”
The intimidation Ward felt may come into play again when she enters
the ring against the world's top female fighter Megumi Fujii for a
shot at the Bellator Women’s Championship.
Fujii knows she has a target on her back, but she plans on using the
pressure to her benefit when she steps in the ring.
“To be undefeated is a great challenge,” said a modest Fujii. “It
makes me train harder and I try to focus on being a better fight
than my last fight. I use the pressure of my record to help take my
fighting to the next level.”
Tickets for Bellator 31 are available at www.Ticketmaster.com
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter
@BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional
company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn
Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment
professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of
the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’
executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the
areas of live event production, television production, fighter
relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development,
international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and
commission relations.
|
