Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will defend her Bellator flyweight world championship against fellow unbeaten Juliana Velasquez of Brazil; Macfarlane is 11-0, Velasquez is 10-0. "I'm just excited to get back in the cage. I think that will be the best thing that happened this year," said Macfarlane
Tuesday 8 December 2020 07:06, UK
Ahead of her fifth title defence, Bellator's flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane claims her undefeated MMA record (11-0) is, in part, built on her unorthodox visualisation method - picturing herself getting sparked out cold.
Many a fighter pays testament to the importance of imagining a route to victory pre contest. But the Hawaiian submission-sensation says her secret sauce is envisaging an emphatic defeat.
"I go into every fight thinking I'm going to lose. I always say that 'I'm going to get knocked out in the first round," 'The Ilimanator' Macfarlane told Sky Sports from her San Diego home.
"I think what that does is take a lot of pressure off me. So, I just go out there and have fun because I accept defeat. It works for me and it's been working. I've even gone so far to visualise my post-fight speech should I lose and my Instagram post," she revealed.
And while Macfarlane was quick to clarify that she is determined to beat Juliana Vasquez in the early hours of December 11 (3am UK time) - live on Sky Sports, she feels a loss may be necessary in the future to fulfil her maximum potential.
"I don't want to lose. But I know when the day comes, you learn a lot from how you respond to a loss. It tells you a lot about your character."
Macfarlane may be forced to find new levels to keep her impeccable record in the upcoming contest. The match has been billed 'Undefeated' by Bellator with Vasquez boasting a 10-0 record and having showcased a penchant for striking.
"She's a pretty phenomenal striker. She's had several wins by knock out. And she hasn't exhibited this in any of her fights, but she's a judoka too," Macfarlane said.
"She obviously has good grappling skills, but she likes striking so much she doesn't go down to the ground. She's physically very strong, has abs all year round and is very intimidating. She goes for the kill. She smells blood and she really tries to knock you out."
Despite the danger posed by the Brazilian, Macfarlane is simply relieved to be fighting again and says a cage date was needed to jolt her from a lethargy induced by lockdown.
"It was very welcome when I got the news of the fight. Because I was not one of those people who was motivated to work out during quarantine. I put on the quarantine weight.
"My body was basically just begging to get back into training. Otherwise I'd have just stayed doing what I was doing, relaxing at home and not doing any physical activity."
The time off has allowed for significant developments in Macfarlane's personal life. And her fiancé, musician Jason Tupuola-Aiono, has wound up earning a place in the cage on fight night.
"The last time I fought last December, I was in the middle of a whirlwind romance. I met someone and a week later we were like 'let's get married!' We planned a shotgun wedding and we eventually had to cancel the wedding because of Covid.
"Jason will go out to Connecticut with me early and help with the weight cut. He doesn't have any experience in the fight game. He's not going to be giving me instructions, but he's going to be keeping time. He'll probably be just staring at his phone as he does not want to see me get hit!"
Macfarlane won't see her main corner coaches, Bill Crawford and Richie 'Boogeyman' Martinez, because of quarantine protocol at the Mohegan Sun until the day of the fight. But she's not unnerved by their absence and is relishing the low-key feel of pre-fight commitments in the pandemic era.
"I'm just excited to get back in the cage. I think that will be the best thing that happened this year," Macfarlane explained.
"I actually like that it's just 'get down to business.' There's no hoopla around everything. There's not a lot of media. It's 'get in there, do your job and get out.'"
Longer term, Macfarlane is eyeing a more festive fight night with fans in Hawaii in 2021 and is keen on a mooted flyweight tournament. But despite her MMA fame largely stemming from her skilful and ruthless submission game, she'd also like to try professional boxing. She even has an opponent in mind: "I think it would be fun, why not? I think me and Heather Hardy. That's my home girl and I love her and we've kind of joked about that before. But it would be cool. We joked about it saying, 'we'll do a boxing match and then we'll do a jiu jitsu match.'"
First thing's first. 'The Illiminator' has to contend with an opponent who is yet to taste defeat in professional MMA. And while she holds a path to defeat in her mind's eye, Macfarlane holds a clear vision of a victorious outcome too.
"My fight prediction is… either I get knocked out in the first round or I submit her in the fourth round," she declared with a jesting grin.
You can see which prediction plays out as Illima-Lei Macfarlane versus Juliana Vasquez is live on Sky Sports at 3am, on Friday, December 11.
