Tag: Bellator 295

Raufeon Stots: Patchy Mix is best possible bantamweight grand prix final at Bellator 295

Raufeon Stots had no doubt he’d be in the position he’s in this week, but he’s a little surprised by who’s standing across from him.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] had no doubt he’d be in the position he’s in this week, but he’s a little surprised by who’s standing across from him.

Stots (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) won Bellator’s interim bantamweight title to start the promotion’s 135-pound grand prix with a knockout of Juan Archuleta. Then he defended it in the semifinals with a decision over Danny Sabatello.

On the other side of the bracket, Patchy Mix (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) outworked former champion Kyogi Horiguchi, then submitted Magomed Magomedov this past December to get to the final against Stots.

Now the two will fight for $1 million and Stots’ interim belt in the Bellator 295 main event Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“(I didn’t) originally (think it would be Mix),” Stots told MMA Junkie at an open workout session for fans and the media at Royal Hawaiian Center in Honolulu. “I didn’t figure it. He’s been an underdog all the way through the tournament, but it’s still a point where you’ve got to respect Patchy.

“He’s a bad dude. He’s here for a reason. He’s f*cking got a lot to prove, also, so he’s definitely the right (opponent). I think this is the best (final) That could have been made. This is the two of the best bantamweights in the world, and we get to find out.”

The trash talk for Stots against Sabatello was at elite levels most of the way through the buildup to their fight. Mix hasn’t engaged as much in back-and-forths with Stots as Sabatello did, but he’s noticed.

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Still, though Stots has talked quite a bit, he said he has a different level of respect for Mix compared to Sabatello.

“I’ve got a lot respect for Patchy’s skill set,” Stots said. “So I do – I respect him more than I did Danny Sabatello. But I think that plays into my favor because he comes with a skill set that I need to be aware of. So I came well-prepared. I wasn’t so prepared when I fought Sabaatello – I didn’t bring in any wrestlers. I didn’t prepare. I didn’t think he was a danger. He proved me wrong. I still beat his ass, but he held out a lot longer than I thought.

“This one, I know I’m coming in ready. I know I’m prepared. I’m prepared for the toughest Patchy Mix, and I feel like I’m the best in the world. I’m prepared to prove that Saturday.”

The Stots-Mix winner will fight the winner of former two-division champion Patricio Freire, who is moving to bantamweight from featherweight to try to win a title in a third division when he takes on champ Sergio Pettis in June.

Check out Stots’ full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Patchy Mix before Bellator 295: ‘I’m here for Raufeon Stots’ neck’ on the way to $1 million

Patchy Mix figured he’d be fighting for $1 million and a belt in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix final at Bellator 295 in Honolulu.

HONOLULU – [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] figured he’d be fighting for $1 million and a belt in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix final.

He also no doubt figured if it was against Raufeon Stots, it would cmoe with a little trash talk. Interim bantamweight champion Stots (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) puts his belt on the line against Mix (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) on Saturday in the tournament final at Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“This is the culmination of everything,” Mix told MMA Junkie at an open workout session for fans and the media at Royal Hawaiian Center in Honolulu. “I was reaching for a grand prix 17 months ago after I beat up (James) Gallagher. Now we’re here.

“I took out (Kyogi) Horiguchi – former champion. I put (Magomed) Magomedov off to sleep. I’ve only gotten better now. I’m here for Raufeon Stots’ neck. I’m not here to go the distance. I’m here to put him away. I’m here to dominate him and finish him.”

When the 135-pound tournament got under way, it was with an interim title on the line after champion Sergio Pettis knew he’d be sidelined after a surgery. Stots won that interim belt, then defended it in the semifinals against Danny Sabatello.

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But just ahead of Saturday’s final, it was announced that former two-division champion Patricio Freire was going to move down from featherweight and lightweight to try to win a title in a third division. “Pitbull” Freire will challenge Pettis for the bantamweight belt.

That means the goal line may not have been moved, since the Stots-Mix winner still will have a title unification bout against the Pettis-Freire winner. But what’s waiting at the goal line no longer is a guarantee to be Pettis.

“I prefer the pound-for-pound No. 1 – Patricio,” Mix said. “In a dream world, that’s what I prefer. I want ‘Pitbull’ to come down, I want him to take it from Pettis, and I want to compete against ‘Pitbull.’ I want to compete against the face of Bellator – against the former 155-pound world champion and reigning 145-pound world champion. Now he’s going to be a (title challenger) at 135. So I want him to come down, I want him to take that belt, and I’ll be here with my interim, my grand prix belt, $1 million dollars and all the momentum to go try to take out No. 1.

“How can you (pick) against him? It’s hard to (pick) against him, but it depends on how he fights. But I believe that Patricio ‘Pitbull’ will get the job done.”

Check out Mix’s full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will call for title shot with win over Kana Watanabe at Bellator 295

One of Bellator’s all-time great champions has a plan to recapture a title before it’s time to hang up the gloves.

HONOLULU – One of Bellator’s all-time great champions has a plan to recapture a title before it’s time to hang up the gloves.

Former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) is set to return Saturday for a fight in front of her home city fans against Kana Watanabe (11-1-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) at Bellator 295, which takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

If Macfarlane, a Honolulu native, can get the 125-pound belt back, she’d like to retire in front of her home fans.

“I don’t think I’m going to be one of those that’s like, ‘I’m done,’ and then I’m not,” Macfarlane told MMA Junkie at an open workout session for fans and the media at Royal Hawaiian Center in Honolulu. “I always say that I do want to retire definitively. The plan is if I win this fight, I’m going to call for a title shot. It just makes sense that the winner of Saturday gets the next shot – and that’ll be it. That’ll be the end.”

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Macfarlane lost the women’s flyweight title to Juliana Velasquez in late 2020. It was her first MMA loss. She dropped a second in a row after that to Justine Kish before a bounce-back win over Bruna Ellen this past August.

But Velasquez lost the title to current champ Liz Carmouche, who happens to be a longtime training partner and friend of hers. Their dream long has been if they have to fight, it might as well be for the title in a big production.

“I want to get it out of the way,” Macfarlane said. “OK: So (back to Honolulu in) December. … I have no choice but to retire here. All right, if I win on Saturday night, then I’m going to call for the shot and I’m going to call for Uncle Scott (Coker) and Bellator to come back in December. How’s that?”

Check out Macfarlane’s full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Bellator 295: Make your predictions for Stots vs. Mix grand prix final

We want your predictions for Saturday’s Bellator 295 event in Honolulu.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s Bellator 295 event in Honolulu.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 295 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 295 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu and is the second of back-to-back events at the venue. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

How to watch Bellator 295: Who’s fighting, lineup, start time, broadcast info

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Bellator 295, featuring the bantamweight grand prix final of Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix.

For the fourth time since 2018, Bellator is back in Hawaii this week for back-to-back shows.

Here’s how to watch Bellator 295, with a complete lineup and look at the top fights.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 294.

Scott Coker on ‘Pitbull’ Freire’s shot at history, Cyborg, Harrison and more after Bellator 293

See what company president Scott Coker had to say about Daniel James, Cat Zingano, Cris Cyborg, Patricio Freire and more after Bellator 293.

TEMECULA, Calif. – The heavyweight title picture got a fresh name Friday, but that’s not the only big thing going on with Bellator lately.

After Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., promotion president Scott Coker talked to MMA Junkie and other media members at a post-event news conference.

Coker talked about [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag]’ emergence at heavyweight, [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] as the No. 1 women’s featherweight title contender for champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] and featherweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s upcoming shot at the bantamweight belt.

See what Coker had to say about those topics and more below.

Aaron Pico returns from shoulder injury vs. Otto Rodrigues at Bellator 295

Aaron Pico is set to resume his career after shoulder surgery at Bellator 295 in April.

[autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] is set to resume his career after shoulder surgery when he competes at Bellator 295 in April.

Pico will welcome promotional newcomer [autotag]Otto Rodrigues[/autotag] to the Bellator cage in a main card featherweight bout at the April 22 event, which takes place at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

MMA Junkie verified the booking between Pico (10-4 MMA, 10-4 BMMA) and Rodrigues (13-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) with a person close to the situation. The person requested anonymity because the organization has yet to make an official announcement.

Pico, 26, will return to action after he suffered a separated shoulder in an injury TKO loss to Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator 286 in October. He was forced to undergo surgery to repair the damage, and told MMA Junkie in February he is determined to hold the 145-pound belt this year, and viewed his next fight as the start of that push.

“I’d like to be a world champion at the end of 2023,” Pico said. “I feel I’m ready, I have a new shoulder, I’m just knocking on the door to be a champion, and I think when it’s all said and done in this year, I’ll have the Bellator belt wrapped around my waist.”

Rodrigues, 34, hasn’t competed since July 2021, and before that hadn’t fought since April 2017 due to multiple canceled matchups and other circumstances. The Brazilian has fought the majority of his career under the Jungle Fights, Shooto and LFA banners, earning all six of his career stoppage wins by submission.

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The latest Bellator 295 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix – for interim bantamweight title
  • Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Ray Borg vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
  • Aaron Pico vs. Otto Rodrigues

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

  • opponent TBA vs. Davion Franklin
  • Charlie Leary vs. Yancy Medeiros
  • Aalon Cruz vs. Bobby King
  • Weber Almeida vs. Keoni Diggs
  • Adli Edwards vs. Kai Kamaka
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Sumiko Inaba

Ray Borg to make Bellator debut vs. Kyoji Horiguchi on April 22 in Hawaii

Kyoji Horiguchi will welcome fellow UFC veteran Ray Borg to the Bellator cage.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] will welcome fellow UFC veteran [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] to the Bellator cage.

Former Bellator and Rizin FF bantamweight champion Horiguchi (31-5) faces Borg (16-5) in a flyweight bout April 22 at Bellator 295 in Honolulu. A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news Wednesday to MMA Junkie after an initial report from MMA Mania.

ESPN first reported the possibility of the matchup in late February after Borg signed with the promotion.

Horiguchi has split his past four appearances. After dropping back-to-back bouts to Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis and grand prix finalist Patchy Mix, Horiguchi rebounded with a submission of Yuto Hokamura, followed by a unanimous decision against Hiromasa Ougikubo in his return to flyweight.

Since parting ways with the UFC in 2020, former title challenger Borg has won three consecutive fights over Jesse Arnett, Cody Gibson, and Ricky Bandejas. Borg, who signed a multifight deal with Bellator, hasn’t competed at flyweight since defeating Rogerio Bontorin in February 2020. He missed weight by 2 pounds.

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The current Bellator 295 lineup includes:

  • Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix
  • Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Kasim Aras vs. Davion Franklin
  • Adil Edwards vs. Kai Kamaka III
  • Charlie Leary vs. Yancy Medeiros
  • Aalon Cruz vs. Bobby King
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Weber Almeida
  • Sumiko Inaba vs. Veta Arteaga
  • Ray Borg vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.

Sara McMann’s debut, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s return, more added to Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader

Sara McMann will begin the next chapter of her career in Bellator when the promotion returns to Honolulu in April.

Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] has a date and opponent for her Bellator debut.

McMann will take on veteran and former Bellator title challenger [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) in a women’s featherweight bout at Bellator 294. The event is part of a two-night series set to go down on April 21 and April 22, which marks Bellator’s return to Hawaii.

News of the matchup was announced Wednesday by the promotion.

Both Bellator 294 and Bellator 295 go down at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

McMann (13-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was last seen in action in March, when she defeated Karol Rosa by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 33. That was her only fight in 2022. McMann was scheduled to make a return in two other separate occasions in 2022, one in August and the other in September, against Aspen Ladd, but both bouts fell through due to Ladd’s weight-cutting issues. Following the cancelations, McMann was released from her final fight of her UFC contract, and she signed with Bellator shortly after.

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Additionally on that card, a heavyweight matchup between [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Said Sowma[/autotag] will serve as the co-main event. Johnson (15-9 MMA, 3-5 BMMA) looks to snap a three-fight losing streak. His last win came against Cheick Kongo back in 2020. Sowma (8-4 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) looks to snap a losing streak himself as he lost his two most recent bouts.

Bellator 295 also saw an addition to its lineup. Former women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] returns against top contender [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag].

Both fighters look to build momentum and turn it into streaks as Macfarlane (12-2 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) is coming off a decision win over Bruna Ellen last August, while Watanabe (11-1-1MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is on the heels of a submission finish over Denise Kielholtz last May.

Below are the updated lineups for both Bellator 294 and Bellator 295:

Bellator 294

  • Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett
  • Tim Johnson vs. Said Sowma
  • Arlene Blencowe vs. Sara McMann

Bellator 295

  • Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix
  • Adil Edwards vs. Kai Kamaka III
  • Charlie Leary vs. Yancy Medeiros
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Weber Almeida
  • Sumiko Inaba vs. Veta Arteaga
  • Bobby King vs. Aalon Cruz
  • Davion Franklin vs. Kasim Aras

Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix grand prix final headlines Bellator 295 on April 22 in Hawaii

The Bellator bantamweight grand prix will reach its conclusion in April when Raufeon Stots and Patchy Mix square off in the cage.

The Bellator bantamweight grand prix will reach its conclusion in April.

Interim bantamweight champion [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) is set to meet [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the tournament final, which headlines Bellator 295  on April 22 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, the second event of a two-night doubleheader.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. KHON2 was first to report the news.

With reigning bantamweight champ Sergio Pettis out of the grand prix due to injury, an interim title was on the line when Stots faced Juan Archuleta in the quarterfinals at Bellator 279. Stots won with a knockout and went on to edge out Danny Sabatello in the semifinals this past December.

Mix defeated former bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi in the quarterfinals followed by a submission of Magomed Magomedov in the semifinals at Bellator 289 to punch his grand prix finale ticket against Stots.

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The current Bellator 295 lineup includes:

  • Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix
  • Adil Edwards vs. Kai Kamaka III
  • Charlie Leary vs. Yancy Medeiros
  • Ilima Lei-Macfarlane vs. opponent TBD
  • Keoni Diggs vs. opponent TBD
  • Sumiko Inaba vs. opponent TBD

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.