Cyborg submits Blencowe to retain Bellator title

Cris Cyborg is still the queen of Bellator.

Cyborg beat Arlene Blencowe via second-round submission to retain the women's featherweight title in the Bellator 249 main event Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The stoppage came at 2:36.

The finish came as Cyborg got the challenger to the mat early in the frame, eventually taking her back and flattening her out. Cyborg sunk in a rear-naked choke and forced Blencowe to tap out.

This marked Cyborg's first career win via submission after 25 professional fights.

Cyborg dominated Blencowe from start to finish. After landing a few strikes in the opening moments, Cyborg took her down and established full mount. She landed ground-and-pound and took Blencowe's back. Blencowe eventually returned to her feet, and the round ended with Cyborg pressing her opponent up against the fence.

At the start of the second round, before Cyborg took Blencowe down and found the submission, the Brazilian teed off on Blencowe and bloodied her face. Blencowe offered little offense throughout the contest.

Cyborg successfully defended her title for the first time with the victory. She captured it in January with a TKO win over Julia Budd. Cyborg has now won three straight bouts.

Cyborg, one of the most dominant fighters in women's MMA history, is a former UFC champion. She held that title from 2017-18, losing it in stunning fashion to Amanda Nunes. Cyborg left the UFC and signed with Bellator following a win over Felicia Spencer in 2019.

Blencowe saw her three-fight winning streak come to an end. She hadn't lost since 2017.