An opportunity at a seven-figure payday serves as extra motivation for Julia Budd, a martial artist in her late 30s with little else left to accomplish.
As Budd inches closer to her high-stakes confrontation with Fabian at 155 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape her career to this point:
Amanda Nunes
The emerging Brazilian wasted little time making her presence felt in her promotional debut, as she leveled Budd with punches in the first round of their Strikeforce Challengers 13 showcase on Jan. 7, 2011 at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was over in just 14 seconds. Just 22 years old at the time, Nunes uncorked a quick inside leg kick at the start and then fired away with power punches. Her initial burst put Budd on her heels before a straight left dropped the Canadian where she stood. Seven unanswered hammerfists from Nunes punctuated the finish and prompted referee Jeff Mackens to intervene.
Ronda Rousey
The onetime Olympic bronze medalist continued her shock-and-awe campaign when she submitted Budd with an armbar in the first round of their Strikeforce Challengers 20 co-feature on Nov. 18, 2011 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Rousey drew the curtain just 39 seconds into Round 1. The decorated judoka walked through Budd’s punches, lured her into the clinch and executed an immediate takedown. In an instant, the situation had grown dire. Rousey climbed to full mount, isolated an exposed limb and cinched the armbar. She went belly-down with the technique and then rolled to a more traditional position, appearing to dislocate Budd’s right elbow in the process. The Canadian muay Thai practitioner could only retreat to her corner in stunned silence, months of preparation having unraveled in less than a minute.
Marloes Coenen
Budd overpowered the Golden Glory star to a fourth-round finish and captured the inaugural Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship in the Bellator 174 headliner on March 3, 2017 at the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Coenen succumbed to blows 2:42 into Round 4, with very little having gone right for her. Budd struck for takedowns in all four rounds, threaded her ground-and-pound through the Dutchwoman’s spidery guard and consolidated all of it with suffocating top control. She dragged Coenen to the canvas inside the first minute of Round 4, achieved full mount and let loose with a sustained volley of punches and elbows until referee John McCarthy had seen enough. Afterward, Coenen announced her retirement from mixed martial arts at the age of 35.
Arlene Blencowe
Working within the narrowest of margins, Budd retained the undisputed Bellator MMA women’s featherweight crown with a split decision over the rugged Australian in the Bellator 189 main event on Dec. 1, 2017 at the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Judges Todd Anderson and David Sutherland struck 49-46 scorecards for Budd, while Michael Bell saw it 48-47 for Blencowe. A rematch of an October 2016 pairing that saw Budd emerge with a majority verdict, the sequel devolved into a tepid, grimy affair that was plagued by inactivity. Blencowe was the superior fighter in open space and managed to control distance from the center of the cage for much of the forgettable 25-minute encounter. However, she failed to seize the reins in a meaningful away and allowed Budd to score with intermittent kicks to the leg and body. The Canadian champion excelled at close range, utilized knees to the body whenever possible and mixed in a few takedowns for added flavor, but neither woman seemed willing or able to shift out of first gear. They left their fate in the hands of the judiciary, and Budd exited the cage as the ultimate beneficiary.
Cristiane Justino
“Cyborg” strengthened her unparalleled resume with some patented violence when she buried Budd with punches and laid claim to the undisputed Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship in the fourth round of their Bellator 238 headliner on Jan. 25, 2020 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Budd checked out 74 seconds into Round 4, experiencing her first defeat in more than eight years. Justino established her dominance from the start—she knocked down the Canadian in the first round—and never relented, pairing steady pressure with mesmerizing bursts of punches, knees and kicks. Budd survived into the fourth round, where “Cyborg” pinned her to the fence and unleashed her hands, feet and knees until the champion collapsed. The stoppage made Justino the first woman to win titles in Bellator, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strikeforce and Invicta Fighting Championships.