Bellator to crown 1st women's flyweight champ with Macfarlane vs. Ducote in November

Bellator has taken its investment in a women's flyweight division one step further.

The promotion will crown its inaugural female 125-pound champ when Ilima-Lei Macfarlane meets Emily Ducote on Nov. 3 on Penn State University's campus for Bellator 186, as announced Tuesday on Twitter.

Bellator has signed a litany of flyweight talent of late - including former UFC strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau - with the undefeated Macfarlane leading the charge. The 27-year-old has gone 5-0 under the Bellator banner and 6-0 overall, most recently submitting Jessica Middleton within a round this past April.

Since dropping a decision to Macfarlane last December, Ducote has picked up consecutive wins over Katy Collins and Middleton to improve her promotional record to 4-1. All but one of her Bellator victories have come by way of tapout.

The bill will see light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader defend the crown against Linton Vassell in the main event, with former Penn State wrestling standouts Phil Davis and Ed Ruth also competing against opponents the promotion has yet to announce.