Elena "Baby Doll" Reid has entered the mix for the Bellator women’s flyweight (115-pound) tournament, which is set to begin in August. This could potentially put Reid in a field that is rumored to have the likes of Japanese supertsar Megumi Fujii, English standout Rosi Sexton, and undefeated Bellator veteran Jessica Pene. Those three women are widely considered to be among the Top 5 women’s flyweight fighters and all three are dangerous submission-oriented fighters. Meanwhile, Reid is easily the most accomplished female striker to make the transition into MMA.
Before Reid tangles with the Top 5 fighters in her division, however, she has business to tend to in North Dakota later this month. This would involve defending her Sovereign Nations MMA women’s flyweight title against King of the Cage veteran Alyx "Miss Luck" Luck on Saturday, April 17th. This will be the featured bout at Playboy Fight Night at the 4 Bears Casino and Lodge in New Town, North Dakota. Reid has been training at the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona alongside WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, TUF 8 lightweight champion Efrain Escudero, and UWC flyweight champion Pat Runez in preparation for her first MMA title defense.
Reid won her flyweight title in her most recent MMA bout on October 24th of last year by defeating Japanese MMA veteran Masako Yoshida via TKO. Yoshida is now a veteran of 37 profressional MMA bouts with Reid being the only person to ever finish her via TKO. Reid is also a perfect 4-for-4 in MMA with all 4 wins coming by way of TKO. More importantly, the victory over Yoshida gave Reid the distinguished honor of being recognized as one of the most well-rounded and decorated athletes in combat sports today.
Reid, who is a member of the Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, earned this status by becoming a world champion in both professional boxing and professional MMA. Reid made her mark in professional boxing over the past decade, where she has won both the WIBA and IFBA flyweight world titles. Reid also has plans to add to that collection of boxing hardware on Saturday, June 5th, when she travels to Lingolsheim, France to fight Nadia Hokmi for the WIBF women’s flyweight title. Travelling with her will be her mother, as well as her boxing coach Rafael Valenzuela.