Australia’s Arlene Blencowe finally has a mixed martial arts fight in the United States.
Sources close to the situation have told Combat Press that the Australian featherweight is now slated to meet Adrienna Jenkins at Bellator 137 on May 15. Blencowe’s original opponent, Alexis Dufresne, recently bowed out of their scheduled bout and revealed that she is pregnant.
Blencowe, who is a former WBF and WIBA champion boxer, is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. The string of victories marked a career turnaround for Blencowe, who lost four of her first six pro fights. In her most recent outing, the 32-year-old avenged a previous loss to Invicta FC’s Faith Van Duin. Blencowe, whose first fight with Van Duin resulted in a split decision loss, emerged victorious in the rematch after scoring a third-round knockout. The May 15 bout will mark the first time that Blencowe has competed in mixed martial arts outside of Australia and will serve as her debut with Bellator.
Jenkins made her return to active competition on April 11. This bout will mark her promotional debut with Bellator. Jenkins returns after three straight defeats, including losses to Shayna Baszler and Tonya Evinger. Prior to her three-fight skid, Jenkins had amassed a 17-2 record.
Bellator 137 will take place Friday, May 15, from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. The event is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Brandon Halsey and challenger Kendall Grove. The night’s main card will air live on Spike TV, with the preliminary card streaming on Spike.com.