Undoubtedly the biggest battle of the weekend, regardless of promotion, was the Bellator 295 main event featuring Raufeon Stots and Patchy Mix.
The interim 135-pound title held by Stots was at stake. The Grand Prix champion designation was available. and $1 million for the winner – who will then secure a shot for winner Sergio Pettis against Patricio Pitbull.
From the opening bell in Honolulu, Mix pressed forward, getting his hands on an early start in the Bellator 295 main event. The wedge remained mobile, and fired a low kick; The pair settled down, and any early nervous energy seemed to have dissipated.
Stots fired a punch to the body, while Meeks landed an outside leg kick. Moments later, Mix fired a bunt down the middle, creating some space. His next hit will do much more than that. Mix fired a straight knee down the middle that hit Stotts’ jaw. Raufeon Stots in turn returned to the mat, and nothing else was needed to be done, said, or touched down. Mix has a KO, a million dollars, a Grand Prix title belt, the interim Bellator Heavyweight Championship, and a claim to be the promotion’s best bantamweight — a claim he’ll likely have a chance to cement later this year.
Chill out! 😱@tweet knocks @tweet to win at # Bellator million kronor.# Bellator 295 | live now | @tweet pic.twitter.com/l0smOYG2yr
– Bellator MMA (BellatorMMA) April 23, 2023
Mix, who fell short in a title fight with Juan Archuleta a few years ago, found his redemption in a big way on Saturday. Stots’ win capped an impressive run during the Grand Prix, which also saw him win a decision win over former champion Kyoji Horiguchi, and submit Magomed Magomedov to the dangerous Russian bantamweight.
The official score: an incomplete mixture. Raufeon Stots (ic) by KO (knee), Round 1, 1:20