As time goes on, what once seemed like a certain showdown between Ilima Macfarlane and Anastasia Yankova may be moving moves further and further away from reality.

Macfarlane (6-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) said that’s not her fault, though, and the blame should go entirely on Yankova (5-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), who she not only believes is overhyped as a talent, but also has repeatedly failed to make flyweight.

The pair were among the first female fighters signed to Bellator’s growing women’s roster more than a year ago. Macfarlane has done nothing but good things since, winning five consecutive fights. Yankova has put together three wins of her own under the Bellator banner, but each time she moves further from the 125-pound weight class by competing in catchweight bouts.

Macfarlane has expressed the desire to fight Yankova numerous times in the past (and for some slightly unusual reasons). However, she has her eye on fighting for the inaugural Bellator flyweight belt, something Yankova won’t be able to do if she can’t make weight on a consistent basis.

“Obviously the Anastasia fight is one that I’ve always wanted, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen anymore because she hasn’t proven she can make weight,” Macfarlane told MMAjunkie. “Our records are pretty much identical, so I thought that would make sense, but again, the whole weight issue might deter that.”

What frustrates Macfarlane even more than the weight situation is the push Yankova has received from fans and Bellator, itself. The Russian is highly promotable because of her physical appearance, but inside the cage she has looked largely ordinary outside of a 95-second submission win in her promotional debut at Bellator 152 in April 2016.

Granted, Yankova, 26, is a young and inexperienced fighter with room to grow. However, given what she’s shown thus far, Macfarlane said everyone needs to pump the breaks and appreciate what other members of the weight class are doing, as well.

“I was actually frustrated more with Anastasia because I think there are other women in the division who deserve more recognition than she does,” Macfarlane said. “All the girls in flyweight have kind of banded together on social media like, ‘What the (expletive)?’

“I do my job, I get in there and do my job, and I feel like I already get enough attention and I back it up. I just think the Anastasia hype train – I think that’s bull(expletive), honestly. I think there are other girls in the division that are way tougher than her and go do their job, and they act like professionals. They deserve to be built up and get the recognition over her.”

Macfarlane said she’s able to speak on the issue with Yankova because of what she’s been through in her own career. “The Ilimanator” was viewed as somewhat of a joke at the beginning of her career when in her pro debut she scored a 10-second knockout over a “soccer mom” under the Xplode Fight Series banner.

Although the promotion took the brunt of the criticism for booking the fight, Macfarlane received some, too. The attention which came her way was not what she desired, and since then, Macfarlane has worked hard to shed the image placed on her early in her career.

She said Yankova must follow a similar path to break away from her perception.

“Before I would get a little embarrassed or hurt about it, but I think now that I’ve proven to people that I’m not a joke; I’m fine with it,” Macfarlane said. “Sometimes people don’t even know that was me. As far as the overall goal to kind of shed that image, I think it’s been successful. But it doesn’t bother me when people bring it up.”

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.