A new member of the “Pitbull Brothers” team is on her way to the Bellator cage.
Bellator officials told MMA Junkie on Friday that 24-year-old Ilara Joanne has been signed to the promotion. Joanne will compete in the flyweight division, currently ruled by champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, and is expected to make her promotional debut later this year.
Bellator will be Joanne’s first experience on the international stage. She’s currently on a two-fight winning streak, after suffering a pair of back-to-back losses in 2017. Prior to that, Joanne (8-4) went on a six-fight winning streak, all of which were first-round finishes.
Joanne will be joining Bellator lightweight and featherweight champ-champ Patricio Freire, his brother and lightweight contender Patricky Freire and former bantamweight title challenger Leandro Higo in Bellator’s “Pitbull Brothers” squad.
On Friday, Joanne posted a picture of the younger Freire’s arrival home after a victorious dual-championship effort over Michael Chandler at Bellator 221 this past Saturday. (Via Instagram)
For more on the upcoming Bellator schedule, check out the Rumors section of the site.
