After battling back issues, Canadian Julia Budd savours Bellator title win
Julia (The Jewel) Budd was more worried about her quality of life last year than fighting for a mixed martial arts title.
Two weeks after learning last April of a Bellator title shot, the 33-year-old from Port Moody, B.C., was sidelined by herniated discs in her back.
“I was in really rough shape for about six weeks there,” Budd recalled. “It was not even about fighting, we were just trying to heal up and make sure that I was able to walk and have a healthy life.
“I had kind of given up the thought of even fighting again because it was so painful and I didn’t know where that injury would lead us to.”