Rested, refreshed and recovered, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is ready for the reboot to her mixed martial arts career.

And there’s no better place to do it than back home.

The former flyweight world champion will compete as part of Bellator’s two-night return to the Blaisdell Arena for shows on April 22 and 23.

Macfarlane will fight on the Bellator 279 card on Saturday, April 23, which will include a bantamweight title bout between champion Sergio Pettis and Raufeon Stots and a women’s featherweight title fight featuring champion Cris Cyborg defending against Arlene Blencowe.

Macfarlane, whose only fight in more than two years was when she dropped the title to current champion Juliana Velasquez in December 2020, will square off with Justin Kish as one of four main-card bouts.

“I just kind of got that fire to fight again,” Macfarlane said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I just realized that fighting is what I love to do and it makes me happy, so I’m going to keep doing it.”

The Punahou alumna held Bellator’s 125-pound title for three years, successfully defending four times, including in the main event of a sold-out show at the Blaisdell in 2018.

Bellator’s first event in Hawaii ended with Macfarlane forcing Valerie Letourneau to tap out to a triangle choke, setting off a wild celebration among the fans that packed the arena to see her fight.

“What I remember the most is the audience and the crowd,” said Macfarlane, who lives in California. “Nothing can compare to a live Hawaii audience that loves their fighters and loves one of their own. Nothing can compare to fighting in my hometown.”

Macfarlane (11-1) racked up two more wins in 2019 and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In her only fight since then, she suffered her first loss of her seven-year career, losing by unanimous decision to Velasquez.

“I was at a place in my life after I lost the belt and the world was being weird with COVID and everything that I was ready to settle down and kind of take a step back from fighting,” Macfarlane said. “My No. 1 priority after my last fight was my health.”

Macfarlane had knee surgery last July and said the recovery was painful. As she started to feel better, the itch to step back in the cage began to intensify with every passing day.

“I’ve realized that I just can’t plan for life anymore. I have to take things as they come and live in the moment,” Macfarlane said. “Right now I’m focusing on being a fighter. This is what I love to do, and even though the training sucks, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I’m excited to come home and do it again.”

Tickets for Bellator 279 go on sale to the public on Friday. The Bellator 278 card on April 22 is closed to the public and will be a special show dedicated to the military and first responders.

Both shows will be broadcast live on Showtime.