Tag: Raufeon Stots

Video: Bellator 301 media day faceoffs feature Yaroslav Amosov, Jason Jackson all buddy-buddy

Check out the faceoffs from Bellator 301 media day in Chicago, where Yaroslav Amosov and Jason Jackson had a friendly encounter.

CHICAGO – Bellator 301 media day took place Wednesday with all 10 main-card fighters in attendance, and MMA Junkie was on the scene for the festivities and faceoffs that ensued at the host hotel.

The main event features welterweight champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] defending his title against [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag]. And in the co-main event, champ [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] and interim champ [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] will meet to unify the bantamweight title.

Three other fights are featured on the main card: A rematch between bantamweight contenders [autotag]Danny Sabatello[/autotag] and [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag]; former featherweight champ [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] in a lightweight grand prix alternate bout; and a lightweight grand prix semifinal between [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Shabiliy[/autotag].

After each matchup’s fighters fielded questions from reporters, they came together for faceoffs, which you can watch in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.

Raufeon Stots reveals he fainted during weight cut before loss to Patchy Mix, wants rematch

Raufeon Stots doesn’t think Patchy Mix beat his best version.

[autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] doesn’t think he was in the ideal circumstances to win the Bellator bantamweight grand prix this past April.

Stots lost his Bellator interim title and the opportunity to crown himself winner of the 135-pound bantamweight tournament that the promotion launched last year, as he was quickly knocked out by Patchy Mix in the main event of Bellator 295.

Although Stots (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) respects Mix, he’s convinced he didn’t enter 100 percent into the cage, as he fainted during his weight cut prior to the fight.

“I’m hoping that I can have my rematch against Patchy,” Stots told MMA Junkie Radio. “I feel like I went into that fight not compromised, but knowing something I didn’t know before. I messed up in my nutrition the last two camps. I didn’t know that I was doing it to myself. I wasn’t eating all that I needed to be eating. My weight cut suffered because of it, and I passed out because of the weight cut.

“I would like the chance to fight him again. Not saying that’s the reason he won, but I know I would be able to attack the fight differently. … That one left a kind of sour taste in my mouth because I feel like I wasn’t able to truly fight and see where I’m at with Patchy. That’s kind of where my head is at.”

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Stots, who returns to the cage against Danny Sabatello (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) on Nov. 11 at Bellator 301, says he changed his meal preparation company two fights ago and was having issues with his performance.

He said the meal preparation company was fine, but it was he who wasn’t doing the things he was instructed to do to be in optimal shape.

“It was purely my fault,” Mix explained. “I would eat three (meals), and then I would be full, but I was supposed to be supplementing that with protein and other food. It was clearly laid out for me in the layout they sent me. It was on me.

“Every day, I would not eat the fourth meal just because I ate in the morning, I ate in the day, and I ate at night. … On my low days, I would feel kind of depleted and that would affect my training. I wasn’t eating all the meals I should eat, and I wasn’t supplementing the way I was supposed to be. … I just wasn’t doing any of that and that was purely my fault. … I’m a person who always goes the extra mile, and it just felt like it was way harder to do. And going into the weight cut, my weight was good, but then when I got all the way down – nobody knows this – but these last two weight cuts I really struggled, and I passed out before the fight.”

Stots didn’t say anything to the promotion or the commission overseeing the event in Hawaii. He felt he could still beat Mix, but he was wrong.

“We tried to keep it under wraps because I didn’t want to lose the fight and I didn’t think it was a problem,” Stots said. “I just feel like I would be able to perform better. I think it had an impact on me. It’s just something I know I can do better. Obviously, fighting skills and technique (I can do) better in the fight, but I feel like that (the weight cut) I know that I can do better. … It just so happened that it happened in these last two fights where I changed meal prep companies.”

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 11-17)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 11-17.

Bellator 301 set for Chicago: 2 title fights, including Sergio Pettis vs. Patchy Mix, grand prix semifinal, grudge rematch

Despite the uncertain times for Bellator MMA, the promotion has booked a big show for Chicago in November.

Despite the uncertain times for Bellator MMA, the promotion continues to book events.

Wednesday, promotion officials informed MMA Junkie that Bellator 301 will take place Nov. 17 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago with two title fights, a tournament fight, and a grudge rematch already scheduled for the main card. The card was first announced on “The MMA Hour.”

In the main event, Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (27-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) defends his title against [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA). The co-main event features a highly-anticipated bantamweight unification bout between undisputed champion [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) and interim champion [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA).

The Bellator lightweight grand prix rolls on in the featured bout with a semifinal fight between [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (25-11 MMA, 16-9 BMMA) and [autotag]Alexander Shabliy[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). Additionally, a bantamweight grudge match will be run back as [autotag]Danny Sabtello[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) gets a home state fight vs. [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA).

The full Bellator 301 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champion Yaroslav Amosov vs. Jason Jackson – for welterweight title
  • Champion Patchy Mix vs. interim champion Patchy Mix – for bantamweight title unification
  • Patricky Freire vs. Alexander Shabliy
  • Danny Sabatello vs. Raufeon Stots

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Ali Isaev vs. Daniel James
  • Tyrell Fortune vs. Marcelo Golm
  • Justin Gonzales vs. Timur Khizriev
  • Mike Hamel vs. Tim Wilde
  • Sumiko Inaba vs. Denise Kielholtz
  • Islam Mamedov vs. Killys Mota

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Bellator 295 post-event facts: Patchy Mix’s knee knockout caps off epic grand prix run

Patchy Mix is firmly in the Bellator record books after a perfect knee made him $1 million richer at Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 took place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and marked the second night of the promotion’s weekend doubleheader in Hawaii.

The final fight of a loaded week proved to be the most memorable, because [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) scored one of the greatest knockout highlights in company history when he flattened [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) with a picture-perfect knee to the jaw knockout just 80 seconds into their main event. The nasty finish not only won him the interim bantamweight title, but he is the last man standing in the bantamweight grand prix, winning $1 million after completing the eight-man field.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 295.

Twitter reacts to Patchy Mix’s Knockout of the Year contender over Raufeon Stots at Bellator 295

The MMA community went crazy for Patchy Mix’s insane knee KO of Raufeon Stots at Bellator 295 to win the $1 million grand prix.

[autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] delivered one of the all-time great highlights in Bellator history on Saturday when he knocked out [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] in the Bellator 295 headliner to win the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix.

Mix (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) needed just 80 seconds to land a perfect knee to the chin of Stots (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) that put him down and out cold, giving him the interim title and $1 million grand prix win in the main event at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Mix’s Knockout of the Year contender at Bellator 295.

Bellator 295 results: Patchy Mix knocks out Raufeon Stots with vicious knee to win grand prix

From start to brutal finish, Patchy Mix left no doubt about his standing among Bellator bantamweights.

From start to brutal finish, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] left no doubt about his standing among Bellator bantamweights.

Mix put an exclamation point on a dominant run through the promotions bantamweight grand prix Saturday night when he knocked out interim champ [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] with a vicious knee in the Bellator 295 headliner at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. All Mix (18-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) needed was 80 seconds to land flush on the chin to polish off Stots (19-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) in the tournament final, claim the title belt and earn the $1 million prize.

“People think I’m just a ground guy. I just knocked out 19-1 Raufeon Stots in a minute with my backside knee,” Mix said afterward. “I’ve been working that for months. I knew he dips, and I knew I could catch him. I earned these belts, I earned a million dollars, I earned my black belt tonight. So let’s get it, let’s go.”

Mix, 29, had his way throughout the tournament as he defeated former champ Kyoji Horiguchi by lopsided unanimous decision in the quarterfinals almost one year to the day. Then he submitted Magomed Magomedov with a guillotine choke in the second round of their semifinal last December before Saturday night’s finish of Stots.

Mix pushed his overall winning streak to five and completed a run toward redemption as his previous loss came in a title fight to then-champion Juan Archuleta in September 2020.

Mix will get a chance to unify the belt against the winner of June’s title fight between champ Sergio Pettis, who’s returning from a torn ACL, and former two-division champ Patricio Freire making his bantamweight debut.

Mix can’t wait.

“I’ll be there,” Mix said. “I’ll sit there cageside. I’ll be there to watch. It don’t matter.”

Complete Bellator 295 results:

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

Raufeon Stots: Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Freire ‘makes the bantamweight division that much more spotlighted’

“I have a chance to fight somebody who’s going to be the Bellator GOAT. One of the best in MMA.”

HONOLULU – [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] welcomes the addition of [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] to bantamweight.

Featherweight champion Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) will attempt to win titles in three different weight classes when he challenges bantamweight champ Sergio Pettis (22-5 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) in the co-main event of Bellator 297 on June 16 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Interim champ Stots (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) will face the winner if he gets past Patchy Mix (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the bantamweight grand prix final in Saturday’s Bellator 295 headliner, and relishes the possibility of fighting a name like “Pitbull.”

He’s not a big guy,” Stots told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a pre-fight news conference. “So hopefully he makes a good move to 35. I think this is just super exciting for the bantamweight division. Granted I win this fight on Saturday, I have a chance to fight somebody who’s going to be the Bellator GOAT. One of the best in MMA.

“I couldn’t be happier, I’m excited that he’s making that step. He’s also on the cusp of something great, which nobody in martial arts has done, three weight classes champion… that’s just an amazing feat for a lifetime. He’ll be remembered forever if he accomplishes that. For him to come down, and me to have the opportunity to face somebody like that, is crazy.”

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Stots is also happy that former training partner Pettis gets to have a name like Freire on his resume. He sees the entire division benefiting from Freire’s addition.

“But if you look on the other hand too, Sergio has a chance to beat somebody who’s done the unthinkable,” Stots added. “I think it’s an amazing fight. I’m super happy this was made. I feel like it’s an extension of a tournament, that just makes the bantamweight division that much more spotlighted.”

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

Bellator 295 video: Raufeon Stots, Patchy Mix make weight for $1 million grand prix final

The stage is set for the conclusion of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix after finalists Raufeon Stots and Patchy Mix made weight.

HONOLULU – The stage is set for the conclusion of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix after finalists [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] and [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] made weight on Friday.

After going through the eight-man tournament, interim champ Stots (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) will meet Mix (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMA) for the belt and $1 million grand prix prize in the Bellator 295 headliner on Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Both men did their jobs before the fight, with Stots tipping the sale at 134.2, while Mix was 135 pounds even.

Watch the video above to see Stots and Mix weigh in for the Bellator 295 main event.

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

Bellator 295 pre-event facts: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane adds to records in Hawaii

Check out the numbers behind Bellator 295, where Hawaii’s own Ilima-Lei Macfarlane adds to her historic resume in Honolulu.

Bellator returns to Hawaii this weekend with two events in two nights, the second of which goes down Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu and airs on Showtime following prelims streaming on MMA Junkie.

Bellator 295 marks the second half of the doubleheader, and the event is headlined by the conclusion of the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix. Reigning interim titleholder [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) is set to take on [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the finals of the eight-man tournament, with the winner getting a $1 million prize.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 295.