Bellator contender Jessica “Jag” Aguilar has received the go-ahead to fight outside of the promotion on February 17th. Aguilar will face rising star “Little” Patricia Vidonic in a featured matchup at Fight Time Promotions 8 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The women’s bout will be the first in Fight Time history.
Aguilar posted back-to-back victories inside the Bellator cage in 2011 and the promotion hopes to match her against pound-for-pound queen Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii this year. However, she will first have to get past the surging Vidonic, who has won six straight since dropping her pro debut.
Aguilar (12-4-0) has won seven of eight fights over the past three years. The lone setback came in the form of a contentious Split Decision loss in the semi-finals of Bellator’s inaugural 115-pound women’s tournament. The American Top Team standout is currently in the midst of a three-fight winning streak that includes notable wins over Carla Esparza and Lisa Ellis-Ward. By defeating Ellis-Ward, Aguilar avenged the first professional loss of her career, but she drew some criticism after uncharacteristically missing weight for the 115-pound fight. Aguilar now looks to hold off the charge of Vidonic, who is no stranger to upset wins during her 18-month pro career.
Vidonic (6-1-0) came up short in her July 2010 pro debut, but bounced back with two victories before the end of the year and hasn’t looked back since. Vidonic’s 2011 campaign was among the best of any female fighter in MMA and she closed out the year with submission victories over Strikeforce veteran Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman and former XFL champion Chelsea “The Italian Princess” Colarelli; the latter earning Women’s Fight of the Year honours. Vidonic will face her toughest test to date in the bout with Aguilar, but a victory would elevate Vidonic from prospect to contender status at 115 pounds.
Fight Time Promotions 8 is set for February 17th at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Vidonic was originally scheduled to face “Slick” Sally Krumdiack six days earlier at an event in Washington, but that bout was scrapped along with others on the card when the promoter reportedly failed to meet the necessary licensing requirements.