Cyborg takes decision over Blencowe to remain Bellator champ

Cris Cyborg is still the queen of Bellator, though Arlene Blencowe took her the full 25 minutes in their rematch.

Cyborg defeated Blencowe via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) in the Bellator 279 main event Saturday night in Honolulu to retain the women's featherweight championship.

It was a rematch of their October 2020 contest that Cyborg won by second-round submission. Cyborg, who has been the Bellator champion for a little over two years, retained her title for the fourth time. This was the first time Cyborg went the distance in the promotion.

Blencowe proved tougher than many of Cyborg's previous opponents, coming forward after eating big shots and dishing out a decent amount of offense. Still, Cyborg dominated most of the affair, using her speed and power to overwhelm Blencowe.

Cyborg came close to finishing Blencowe in the opening round, dropping her opponent with a huge punch that followed a head kick. Cyborg scored with ground-and-pound but then landed a knee to Blencowe's head while she was grounded. Referee Jason Herzog deducted a point from Cyborg for the illegal shot, leading to a 9-9 round in the first.

Cyborg began to run away from Blencowe, who suffered a cut on her eyebrow in Round 3. She pieced her up on the feet as Blencowe's offense waned. Cyborg landed several front kicks to the face, controlled her opponent on the ground in the fourth, and continued to punish her with strikes in the final stanza.

Cyborg has now won six straight fights and five since joining Bellator in 2019. The 36-year-old is a former UFC women's featherweight champion and one of the greatest women's fighters of all time. Her only loss since her 2005 pro debut came against Amanda Nunes in 2018.

Blencowe, 39, earned a second shot at Bellator gold by defeating Dayana Silva and Pam Sorenson in 2021. The seven-year Bellator veteran is now 8-5 under its banner.