Just like in other sports, everyone loves a champion in MMA. We like to see champions defend their titles and we like to see new champions take titles from former champions. Once all the training sessions and media duties are over, it all comes down to the fight itself.
When the fight is over and the confetti is cleared from the cage, all that remains is the fighter's belt, symbolizing the night's efforts. No matter how long a fighter holds the championship, they only hold it for a moment.
Winning a championship is always great for a fighter, but what they do away from the cage is more important and carries more weight than the gold strap they earn. A Bellator fighter may no longer be a champion inside the cage, but he's always been undefeated when it comes to life.
McFarlane is a winner inside and outside the cage.
Former Bellator MMA women's flyweight champion Ilima-Rae McFarlane (13-3 MMA, 12-3 Bellator) was the youngest of her family. She also turns out to be quite skilled in athletics. During her school days, she was the star of the basketball team.
If McFarlane hadn't gotten injured, she might have been able to play in the WNBA, she told Dave Meltzer in 2019.
“I wanted to go to college and play basketball,” McFarlane said. “I ended up tearing my ACL. I had several surgeries and couldn't play anymore. But I was still able to wrestle. After knee surgery, I started playing basketball. I gave up on my dream of doing so.”
But after his basketball career ended, MacFarlane was haunted by a secret.
Caution: The following section contains sensitive material. We recommend that you judge carefully.
McFarlane sisters speak out against coach
In April 2020, since Ilima-Rae McFarlane defeated Emily Ducote (13-8 MMA, 4-4 Bellator) with a five-round submission via triangle armbar to win the Bellator MMA Women's Flyweight Championship. About two and a half years have passed. In a rematch of her fight from the previous year at Bellator 186, she, along with her sister and an unnamed third woman, filed a lawsuit Her opponent is Dwayne Yuen, a former women's basketball assistant coach at her alma mater Punahou.
Bellator women's flyweight champion Ilima-Rae McFarlane has filed a civil lawsuit accusing her former coach at Honolulu's Punahou School of sexual abuse, according to court documents.
(via @marc_raimondi) https://t.co/JVRUH1iO5t
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 28, 2020
Yuen is accused of sexually assaulting the young women between 2003 and 2006, when Ilima-Rae McFarlane was 12 years old and her sister Mahina McFarlane-Sousa was 14. It was done.
“He definitely nurtured us,” Ilima-Rae MacFarlane told HawaiiNewsNow in 2020. That's what I wanted to do as a career. I wanted to play professional basketball in the WNBA. ”
The McFarlanes' lawsuit against Punahou School was settled out of court in summer 2021. Following that, Dwayne Yuen was arrested by federal agents early last year after being found in possession of child pornography, and further charges were added last year. The new victim cried out before collapsing.
McFarlane Community Champion
Late last summer, the Hawaiian island of Maui and the city of Lahaina were ravaged by devastating wildfires. In times of crisis, such as the one experienced on Maui in August 2023, we must come together to help each other through difficult times and provide emotional and financial support to help rebuild towns and lives. is up to the members of the community.
When Wildfire broke out, McFarlane decided to return to the cage on October 7th for the Bellator MMA women's flyweight title against Liz Carmouche (21-7 MMA, 7-0 Bellator MMA). It wasn't revealed yet. Bellator 300 in San Diego from Pechanga Arena on Showtime. In the aftermath of the bushfires, Ms McFarlane posted on her official Instagram page asking for donations from the public to help the community rebuild.
By early September, more than $2.6 million had been raised for Maui and Lahaina. Too often social media is used for negative purposes on a daily basis. When social media is used for the greater good, as was the case after last summer's wildfires, the end result can be surprising.
scholar macfarlane
Ilima-Rae McFarlane proved herself to be a great athlete, but when the time came for the real thing, her star was just as bright. Upon completing her high school career, the former Hawaii state champion in wrestling had the opportunity to attend Menlo College on a scholarship.
San Diego State University ultimately won, and McFarlane majored in cultural anthropology. After earning her bachelor's degree in this field, she enrolled in graduate school at San Diego State University, where she earned a master's degree in Liberal Arts.
She first discovered the sport of MMA before starting the graduate phase of her student life. This set McFarlane on the path to winning a championship in Bellator.
final thoughts
Sports are measured simply by wins and losses, but in the game of life, Ilima-Rae MacFarlane remains undefeated. She's a winner in every sense of the word.