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Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will be defending her Flyweight title on Saturday night in the main event of Bellator 236. She is set to do so against Kate Jackson in her homeland Hawaii, which also marks the promotion's second trip to the island country.
Macfarlane opened up to MMA Junkie regarding her feelings about fighting at home, and all the pros and cons of it following her open workout on Wednesday.
Macfarlane: I carry the Islands on my shoulders
As it turns out, the Bellator Flyweight Champion has a bitter-sweet relationship about the idea of fighting at home. On one hand, it is always special to have the home crowd backing her up from the audience, but on the other hand, there is a lot of expectation to match up to every time.
"It’s super special to me, but I always joke around and say, ‘I don’t know if I have the emotional capacity to fight every single time in Hawaii'... But it’s nice to go away sometimes, but of course it’s amazing coming back home."
She emphasized that the main goal is to keep bringing the promotion back to her homeland. The first time Bellator went to Hawaii was last year December for Bellator 212 and 213, featuring big names like Neiman Gracie, Lyoto Machida and Muhammed Lawal in the card. This time, it is much less stressful, according to MMA Champion Macfarlane herself.
"It’s so much more chill this time around. The first time was crazy, my emotions were all over the place. But yeah, it’s a lot more chill, which I kind of prefer, less stress."
However, she is not taking the event any less seriously, since the responsibility of representing the Island falls on her shoulders entirely.
"I feel like I carry the Islands on my shoulders when I’m on a platform like this and I’m okay with that, I welcome it now. I don’t want to say that’s my main goal on Saturday, my main goal is to defend my belt, but my other really big goal is to represent my home, my culture, and my people to the best of my ability and to share things that the world might not know otherwise."
Macfarlane said that it was easier to do her job with the kind of support system Hawaii has. The fans are not the bandwagon kind who fall off if she loses, she said, "they're there to ride or die."
