Tag: Raufeon Stots

Bellator 236: Make your predictions for Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson

We want your predictions for Bellator 236 in Hawaii.

We want your predictions for this week’s Bellator 236 “Salute the Troops 2019” event in Hawaii.

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 Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 236 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator 236 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for all six main card fights inside.

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Bellator’s Hawaii cards continue to build with additions from recent open tryouts

The two cards on Bellator’s Hawaii return next month continue to build with additions from the promotion’s recent open tryouts in Honolulu.

The two cards on Bellator’s return to Hawaii next month continue to build with additions from the promotion’s recent open tryouts in Honolulu.

The organization picked 10 total fighters from those open tryouts, and they’ll be part of the “Bellator: Salute the Troops” and Bellator 236 cards in December, the promotion today announced.

The fighters who earned shots with Bellator are featherweight [autotag]Braydon Akeo[/autotag], bantamweight [autotag]Pierre Daguzan[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), lightweight [autotag]Keoni Diggs[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), welterweight [autotag]Hunter Ewald[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Kaylan Gorospe[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), lightweight [autotag]Scotty Hao[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), bantamweight [autotag]Swayne Lunasco[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), flyweight [autotag]Jamie Thorton[/autotag] (6-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and welterweight [autotag]Ben Wilhelm[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Akeo (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) gets a tough assignment right out of the gate against [autotag]Tywan Claxton[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA). Claxton will be looking to rebound from the first loss of his career, a submission setback against Emmanuel Sanchez in the opening round of Bellator’s featherweight tournament in September. Akeo turned pro a year ago and is 3-0 out of the gate.

The latest “Bellator: Salute the Troops” lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Paramount, DAZN 10 p.m. ET)

  • Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes
  • Toby Misech vs. Erik Perez
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Alejandra Lara
  • Braydon Akeo vs. Tywan Claxton

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 8:45 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Cass Bell[/autotag] vs. Pierre Daguzan
  • Hunter Ewald vs. [autotag]Jonathan Pico[/autotag]
  • Jamie Thorton vs. [autotag]Tiani Valle[/autotag]

And the latest Bellator 236 lineup includes:

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

  • Champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson – for women’s flyweight title
  • Derek Campos vs. A.J. McKee – featherweight tournament quarterfinal
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Juliana Velasquez
  • Cheyden Leialoha vs. [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag]

Preliminary MMA Junkie, 8:30 p.m. ET Edit Delete

  • Kaylan Gorospe vs. Swayne Lunasco
  • Keoni Diggs vs. Scotty Hao
  • Chas Dunhour vs. Nate Yoshimura
  • Spencer Higa vs. Kai Kamaka III
  • [autotag]Kona Oliveira[/autotag] vs. Ben Wilhelm
  • Dustin Barca vs. Brandon Pieper
  • Nainoa Dung vs. Zach Zane

Raufeon Stots vs. Cheyden Leialoha added to Bellator 236 main card

A clash between rising bantamweights is on tap for Bellator’s return to Hawaii.

A clash between rising bantamweights is on tap for Bellator’s return to Hawaii.

At Bellator 236, highly touted [autotag]Raufeon Stots[/autotag] will make his promotional debut when he takes on [autotag]Cheyden Leialoha[/autotag] on the evening’s main card. A promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the booking Wednesday afternoon.

Bellator 236 will take place Dec. 21 at Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. The main card will stream on DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Stots (12-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his debut after signing with the promotion in early October. Highly regarded as one of the top bantamweight prospects in North America, Stots is riding a four-fight winning streak.

Most recently, Stots competed for LFA. In his three outings for the promotion, he defeated all comers, including fellow top prospect Levi Mowles.

Leialoha’s opportunity at Bellator 236 comes on the heels of his participation in an open tryout held in Honolulu on Nov. 2. Hawaii’s Leialoha (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) impressed the promotion’s brass enough to offer him a main-card slot on the second leg of a two-night doubleheader to be held in his home state.

The 25-year-old Leialoha is one fight removed from his appearance on the inaugural season of Dana White’s Contender Series. After losing to John Castaneda on the show, Leialoha picked up a submission victory in April 2018.

Additionally, three preliminary card matchups have also been added to the evening’s undercard. A welterweight matchup pits [autotag]Kona Oliveira[/autotag] (1-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) against Honolulu tryout signee [autotag]Ben Wilhelm[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

Flyweights [autotag]Nate Yoshimura[/autotag] (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Chas Dunhour[/autotag] (0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will collide, as well as lightweights [autotag]Dustin Barca[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Brandon Pieper[/autotag] (11-13 MMA, 0-1 BMMA).

Check out the current Bellator 236 lineup below:

  • Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kate Jackson
  • Derek Campos vs. A.J. McKee
  • Bruna Ellen vs. Juliana Velasquez
  • Neiman Gracie vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
  • Cheyden Leialoha vs. Raufeon Stots
  • Nainoa Dung vs. Zach Zane
  • Kona Oliveira vs. Ben Wilhelm
  • Kai Kamaka III vs. Spencer Higa
  • Chas Dunhour vs. Nate Yoshimura
  • Dustin Barca vs. Brandon Pieper

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