Canadian MMA fighter Letourneau goes after Bellator title

Canadian MMA fighter Valerie (Trouble) Letourneau went halfway around the world last time she fought for a title.

While she only had to go to Hawaii this time, she will find herself on hostile ground Saturday night when she faces Bellator flyweight champion Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, a local, at Honolulu’s Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

The 35-year-old from Montreal isn’t fazed. Like most Canadians, she savours a winter trip to the islands.

“I cannot complain about this place. How can ask for a better place to fight than Hawaii?” she said with a laugh. “It’s a dream place to go ... Also I think she deserves to fight in her place. She’s been promoting (Hawaii) in every fight.

The Honolulu-born MacFarlane (8-0-0) is making her second title defence at 125 pounds.

Letourneau (10-6-0) has won both her Bellator bouts to date at flyweight after going 3-3-0 in the UFC.

Letourneau competed in three weight classes in the UFC: strawweight (115 pounds), flyweight (125 pounds) and bantamweight (135 pounds). She says flyweight is the one that works best for her.

Her flyweight UFC fight was a one-off bout at that weight, a thirdround TKO loss to Joanne Calderwood in Ottawa in June 2016.

“I think I should have always fought at this weight,” she said. “That’s the perfect weight for me. I’m still cutting weight but just enough to be healthy for the fight and focus on my camp and performing, not just cutting weight and not gaining too much muscle.”