OUT COLD! 😱@TeamMixMMA
KNOCKS OUT @RaufeonStots
to win the
#BellatorBWGP $1,000,000 crown.#Bellator295
| LIVE NOW | @SHOsports
pic.twitter.com/l0smOYG2yr— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA)
April 23, 2023
So, who wants to be a millionaire?
Patrick
Mix answered that question in a hurry after brutally knocking
out Bellator
MMA interim bantamweight champion Rafueon Stots with a
devastating knee in the first round of the Bellator
295 main event Saturday night at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in
Honolulu.
Fresh off choking out Magomed
Magomedov last December, Mix showed a few extra layers to his
bag after catching a backpedaling Stots with a flush left knee to
the chin 1:22 into the first round. With the shot, Mix claimed the
Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix title and the $1 million
prize.
Mix (18-1) is arguably one of the best bantamweights on the planet
after cruising through the tournament. Dispatching Magomedov and
Stots with ease puts the 29-year-old on track for a date with the
winner of the Sergio
Pettis-Patrico Freire fight on June 16.
In the co-main event, former Bellator women’s flyweight champion
Ilima Lei MacFarlane set up a date with the reigning belt holder
Liz
Carmouche after outlasting Kana
Watanabe in a three-round war by split decision (28-29, 29-28,
29-28).
Aaron
Pico returned from his shoulder injury and loss to Jeremy
Kennedy last October and cruised to a unanimous decision over
James
Gonzalez in featherweight action (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Yancy
Medeiros ended a four-fight skid with a rear naked choke on
Charlie
Leary in the first round.
In other action, Masayuki
Kikuiri starched Alexey
Shurkevich via KO (Punch) in the second round of their
welterweight bout. Shurkevich was the sharper striker throughout
but felt Kikuriri’s power early before going to sleep with 27
seconds left in the second round. Bruna Ellen
(7-4) looked the sharpest she’s been against Ilara
Joanne, clubbing the Brazilian with left hooks to cruise to the
unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Jackson-Wink MMA’s Davion
Franklin (6-1) bounced back from his first career loss after
eeking out a decision over Kasim Aras.
Franklin and Aras traded leather until the bell but Franklin’s
third-round push was enough to return to the win column.
Featherweights Mads
Burnell and Kai Kamaka
III impressed in their bouts picking up decision wins over
Justin
Gonzalez and Adli
Edwards respectively. Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Aalon Cruz
shook off a slow start to outwork lightweight prospect Bobby King
(30-27, 29-28, 29-28). Sumiko
Inaba outclassed Veta
Arteaga over three rounds (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in women’s
flyweight action.