Lena Ovchynnikova vs Rebecca Ruth Targeted For Bellator 150A flyweight bout between Ukrainian veteran Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova and local fan favourite Rebecca “Becky” Ruth has been added to Bellator 150: “Galvão vs Dantas 2,” which takes place on February 26th in Mulvane, Kansas. The matchup will be featured on the Spike-televised main card.

MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight with Bellator officials this evening. Ovchynnikova, a skilled kickboxer, returns to MMA for the first time since earning a submission win in October 2014. Missouri’s Ruth went 3-0 in 2015 and all five of her career victories have come via a form of knockout.

Ovchynnikova (10-3-0), while best known for her standup skills, racked up submission victories in six of her first eight fights before suffering her first professional setbacks against Serbian prospect Sanja Sučević and current UFC standout Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood in 2012. She rebounded with submission finishes in two of her next three MMA bouts and also remains active in kickboxing competition, where she has captured numerous titles. Ovchynnikova now makes her North American MMA debut for Bellator next month and she hopes to derail her opponent’s rise up the flyweight ranks.

Ruth (5-1-0) made an instant impact in her April 2014 pro MMA debut when she knocked out opponent Crystal Stevens in just 18 seconds. She returned to action three months later and picked up another first-round TKO triumph, then engaged in a closely-contested bout with future RFA champion and UFC signee Jocelyn “Lights Out” Jones-Lybarger that ended in a razor-thin Split Decision loss. This past year, Ruth returned to her winning ways by posting three consecutive TKO victories, and she is now set to make her Bellator debut in front of a partisan crowd next month.

Bellator 150: “Galvão vs Dantas 2” takes place on February 26th at the Kansas Star Casino Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. The event is headlined by a Bellator Bantamweight Championship rematch between Marcos “Loro” Galvão and Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Ihor Martovych)