Bellator 279 Report: Cris Cyborg retains title against Arlene Blencowe, Raufeon Stots wins interim bantamweight title
By: Eric Marcotte
Bellator 279 took place on Saturday night, from the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. This was the second straight Bellator event of the weekend, as they ran Bellator 278 at the same arena the night prior, and this one went head-to-head with the UFC’s Fight Night event from Nevada. The headlining bout featured Cris Cyborg attempting to defend her Bellator Featherweight Championship for a fourth time, facing Arlene Blencowe, who had won her previous two fights. This was a rematch of a bout from October of 2020, where Cyborg successfully defended her title for the first time, finishing Blencowe in the second round with a rear-naked choke. This card also featured two opening-round matchups from their current Bantamweight Grand Prix, with Kyoji Horiguchi facing Patchy Mix, and Juan Archuleta versus Raufeon Stots. Originally, current Bellator Bantamweight Champion Sergio Pettis was expected to defend his title against Stots in this first-round matchup, but he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury, and Archuleta took his place, with an interim title now on the line for both Stots and Archuleta. Commentary for this card was provided by the team of Mauro Ranallo and John McCarthy, and the analytical team consisted of Josh Thomson and Amanda Guerra.
QUICK RESULTS:
PRELIMINARY CARD:
*Lance Gibson Jr. def. Nainoa Dung by unanimous decision (30–26, 30–25, 30–25)
*Justin Gonzales def. Kai Kamaka III by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
*Dayana Silva def. Janay Harding by unanimous decision (30–27 all)
*Bobby King def. Keoni Diggs by split decision (29–28, 30–27, 28–29)
*Goiti Yamauchi def. Levan Chokheli by armbar at 3:49 of Round 1
MAIN CARD:
*Yancy Medeiros def. Emmanuel Sanchez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
*Patchy Mix def. Kyoji Horiguchi by unanimous decision (48-47 all)
*Justine Kish def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
*Raufeon Stots def. Juan Archuleta by KO at 0:16 of Round 3 to win the interim Bellator Bantamweight Championship
*Cris Cyborg def. Arlene Blencowe by unanimous decision (49-45 all) to retain the Bellator Featherweight Championship
POSTLIMINARY CARD:
*Sumiko Inaba def. Whittany Pyles by KO at 1:22 of Round 1
*Randi Field def. Maraya Miller by rear-naked choke at 0:48 of Round 2
*Jordan Winski def. Ryan Dela Cruz by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (20-7, 155.4) VS YANCY MEDEIROS (15-8, 1 NC, 155.4) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Medeiros worked his jab early, eventually prompting Sanchez to shoot for a takedown. Medeiros countered with a guillotine attempt, and the fighters battled in the clinch against the cage as Sanchez continued to hunt for a takedown. Eventually, they separated, and Sanchez caught Medeiros with a straight right hand before Medeiros responded with a pair of left hands. Medeiros connected with a left hand to the body late in the round, and in response, Sanchez flurried forward with a strong combination, catching Medeiros repeatedly before time expired. 10-9 Sanchez.
Both fighters worked their jab in the opening minute of the second round. Medeiros was doing some very good work to the body, while Sanchez attacked the lead leg of his opponent. The low kicks seemed to be adding up, and Medeiros switched stances. A left hook from Sanchez caught Medeiros off balance. In the final seconds of the round, a straight right hand from Medeiros seemed to stumble Sanchez, as Sanchez attempted a spinning back fist. Another very close round. 19-19.
The fighters traded right hands early in the final round. Sanchez chased after a single leg, but the takedown defense of Medeiros held up, and he landed a left hook when they broke apart momentarily. Sanchez did not let up, however, as he continued to hunt for a takedown, but the takedown defense of Medeiros held up, and he took the back of Sanchez with ninety seconds remaining in the bout after Sanchez overcommitted to an attempt. Sanchez immediately escaped the position and returned to his feet, but was unable to secure that takedown he was looking for before time expired. 29-28 Medeiros.
WINNER: Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Much like the judges, I scored the bout for Medeiros, but this was a very close fight. I thought that the jab of Medeiros, as well as his bodywork, were the difference makers, although the leg kicks from Sanchez were damaging as well. Sanchez really committed to the takedown in round three, but the takedown defense of Medeiros was on point tonight, and that time and energy spent chasing takedowns were ultimately wasted. With this win, Medeiros snapped a four-fight streak of losses, and this marked his first win since December of 2017 when he defeated Alex Oliveira at UFC 218 in what was a fight of the year contender. For Sanchez however, this marked his fourth straight loss and an unsuccessful return to lightweight following an eight-year run at featherweight. Sanchez has been very competitive in nearly all of his losses, so I don’t see him as a fighter past his prime, but changes clearly have to be made, and I’m uncertain if 155lbs is the division for him at this point in his career.
KYOJI HORIGUCHI (29-4, 134.2) VS PATCHY MIX (15-1, 135) – BANTAMWEIGHT
This was a first-round matchup in Bellator’s Bantamweight Grand Prix. Mix climbed onto the back of Horiguchi just a minute into the fight. Mix began to squeeze as he looked for a rear-naked choke, forcing Horiguchi to fall to the floor, where Mix continued to look for the choke. While the submission never came, Mix spent the entirety of the round on Horiguchi’s back, taking this round on the scorecards. 10-9 Mix.
Horiguchi circled the cage as Mix slowly pressured forwards. Neither fighter was terribly active, and Mix appeared to be having a lot of difficulties in dealing with the footwork of Horiguchi. Horiguchi would close the distance, land a shot, and then retreat before Mix could respond with his own offence. Both fighters connected with counter hooks late in the round. 19-19.
The third round looked very similar to the second early, with Horiguchi a step ahead of Mix in terms of activity. Both fighters attacked the body, however, it was Horiguchi who found more significant success when aiming for the head. Mix eventually opted to take Horiguchi back down, where he quickly took the back of Horiguchi and locked in a body triangle. This time, Horiguchi escaped before the end of the round, landing a hard elbow from top position before time expired. Close round. 29-28 Horiguchi.
Horiguchi rushed in with a strong combination to begin round four. Mix threw a head kick that narrowly missed its target. Horiguchi was pulling far ahead of Mix in terms of activity and seemed to be doing more damage as well, typically whenever he rushed in with his right hand. Mix opened up a cut near the left eye of Horiguchi right before the round reached its conclusion. 39-37 Horiguchi.
Mix dragged Horiguchi back to the ground in the final round and climbed up his back as Horiguchi attempted to pick himself up. Horiguchi did his best to shake Mix off, but he was ultimately dragged down. Horiguchi scrambled into top position with two minutes remaining in the round, but Mix threatened a guillotine before sweeping back into top position. This was a very strong round for Mix to end this fight. 48-47 Horiguchi.
WINNER: Patchy Mix by unanimous decision (48-47 all)
This was a fairly sizeable upset, with Mix defeating the former champion of the division. I scored the fight for Horiguchi, but the fight ultimately came down to that third round, and I can’t be upset with anyone scoring the round for Mix given the amount of time he spent on Horiguchi’s back, and you could make the case that round one should have been scored as a 10-8 round in favor of Mix as well. With this win, Mix will advance to the second round of the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix, where he will face the winner of Magomed Magomedov versus Enrique Barzola, which is expected to take place on June 24th.
ILIMA-LEI MACFARLANE (11-1, 126) VS JUSTINE KISH (7-5, 125.2) – FLYWEIGHT
The fighters wrestled in the clinch early, with neither fighter really gaining the advantage. Eventually, they broke apart, where the feeling out process continued on the feet. When the fighters did exchange strikes, the output was exactly even, making this a very difficult round to score. Macfarlane may have edged out the round with a few straight right hands in the final minute, but a 10-10 scorecard would have been justifiable here. Still, that’s really not something you ever see in MMA, so in all likelihood, Macfarlane took the round.
A leg kick from Kish dropped Macfarlane, and she attempted a guillotine as Macfarlane picked herself up. While the choke was not all the way in, Kish was able to secure top position, which she maintained despite a heel hook attempt from Macfarlane. The fight returned to the feet with three minutes remaining, but it did not take Kish long to bring Macfarlane back to the ground. Kish spent several minutes in top position, but chose to return to her feet with thirty seconds remaining. 19-19.
Two minutes into the final round, neither fighter had reached five strikes landed. A right hand from Macfarlane staggered Kish, but Kish instantly secured a takedown, where she began to work from side control. Kish landed a number of elbows from the crucifix position before she switched to an armbar attempt. The submission did not come, and the fight went the distance. 29-28 Kish.
WINNER: Justine Kish by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Going into this fight, Kish had lost five of her six previous bouts and had just lost in her Bellator debut two months ago. Macfarlane, on the other hand, had just lost her Flyweight Championship in her last bout, a title in which the top-ranked flyweight contender had successfully defended four times previously. Given that this card took place in Hawaii, Bellator was obviously hoping for a great showing from Macfarlane in her home state, but Kish was a game opponent, and she did enough to earn the victory here, in what was another considerable upset o this card.
JUAN ARCHULETA (25-3, 134.6) VS RAUFEON STOTS (17-1, 135) – BELLATOR INTERIM BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
These fighters wasted very little time before they began to swing for the fences. Archuleta took Stots down against the cage, where he racked up a couple of minutes of control time before Stots escaped to his feet. With a minute remaining in the fight, Stots created some separation, and the fighters traded hooks. Archuleta was cut open near his left eye, and Stots ended the round with a takedown of his own.
Much like the first round, the opening minute of round two was a brawl, before Archuleta decided to shoot for a takedown. This time, Stots defended the attempt but found himself pressed against the cage for roughly a minute. Archuleta defended a takedown from Stots and connected with a short combination before he attempted another takedown of his own, to no success. The vast majority of this round was spent wrestling against the cage.
Just seconds into the third round, Stots connected with a clean head kick as Archuleta shot in, and Archuleta went down hard. Stots followed him to the ground with a series of brutal elbows, finishing the fight.
WINNER: Raufeon Stots by KO at 0:16 of Round 3 to win the interim Bellator Bantamweight Championship
I narrowly had Archuleta up on the scorecards prior to the finish, but this was a fight with some very explosive bursts of action, and a finish felt inevitable at times. Eventually, it was Stots who landed the fight-ending blow, catching Archuleta with a perfectly placed head kick as Archuleta shot in. Stots has now won ten fights in a row and holds the division’s interim championship. To be frank, this may be the most absurd interim title handed out in the history of the sport, given that it was assigned to this first-round bout of a divisional tournament following the champion’s withdrawal, but regardless, Stots will defend this title in the second round of Bellator’s Bantamweight Grand Prix, where he will face the winner of Leandro Higo’s bout against Danny Sabatello, which is scheduled to take place on June 24th (on the same card as the Magomedov/Barzola bout).
CRIS CYBORG (25-2, 1 NC, 144) VS ARLENE BLENCOWE (15-8, 144.6) – BELLATOR FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
This was a rematch of a bout from October of 2020 at Bellator 249, a fight that Cyborg won by second-round submission.
The fighters touched gloves to begin the main event. Cyborg connected with a right hand, which she followed up with a head kick. They traded right hands, moments after Cyborg landed a hard jab. There were some wild exchanges in the early goings of this round, as both fighters seemed willing to brawl with the other. Another head kick from Cyborg found its target, and Blencowe responded with a right hand. Moments later, Cyborg dropped Blencowe hard with a right hand, and she quickly took the back of Blencowe on the ground. Cyborg attempted to knee Blencowe in the body, but the knee caught Blencowe in the head instead, and a point was deduced from Cyborg, who lost the position as well. Cyborg took Blencowe back down when the action resumed, but this time Blencowe escaped to her feet. Cyborg landed another head kick before time expired. 9-9, as a result of the point deduction.
The fighters continued to trade heavy hands in the second round. Cyborg had found success with head kicks in the previous round, and she continued to throw them with regularity in the second. Blencowe had opened up a cut on the right ear of Cyborg, as well as a smaller one near her left eye. Cyborg pressed Blencowe against the cage for a considerable amount of time, and she landed short strikes that opened up a nasty cut near the left eye of Blencowe. Cyborg connected with a right hand as Blencowe threw an uppercut, just as the round reached its end. 19-18 Cyborg.
Cyborg threw a pair of front kicks up the middle, both finding their target. A left hook from Blencowe caught Cyborg off-balance, but she quickly recovered. The pace of this round was slightly slower than the prior two, however, the striking exchanges remained very dangerous. Cyborg was largely a step ahead of Blencowe, but Blencowe was very much in this fight, catching Cyborg numerous times with her powerful right hand. 29-27 Cyborg.
Blencowe threw a solid one-two to begin round four before the fighters traded heavy straight right hands. A suplex from Cyborg took Blencowe back to the ground, where she moved into side control. Blencowe ate some shots, but survived the dangerous position, and escaped to her feet with under a minute remaining in the round. Once again, they traded punches to end the round. 39-36 Cyborg.
Cyborg’s kicks continued to cause trouble for Blencowe, catching her repeatedly. Blencowe was loading up with some big shots, trying to catch Cyborg with a fight-ending shot, but Cyborg is a quick fighter, and she was countering strongly more often than not. A front kick followed by a left hook stumbled Blencowe slightly, but if Blencowe was hurt, she quickly recovered. Blencowe ate a combination before urging Cyborg to stand in the middle and trade, which Cyborg obliged her (although not to the famous Holloway/Lamas extent). This fight went the distance, and I scored it 49-45 for Cris Cyborg.
WINNER: Cris Cyborg by unanimous decision (49-45 all) to retain the Bellator Featherweight Championship
While this was certainly a very decisive victory for Cris Cyborg, Arlene Blencowe brought the fight to her for twenty-five minutes, becoming the first fighter to go the distance with Cyborg since she debuted in the promotion. Ultimately Cyborg was too much for her to keep up with, but this was a rather entertaining fight, which was not necessarily the expectation after how quick their first matchup was. Cyborg improved to 5-0 in Bellator following this win, and she expressed her interest in numerous fights in her post-fight interview, including Cat Zingano, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harrison. As neither Nunes nor Harrison is contracted to Bellator, the only realistic option is Zingano, so I would not be shocked if that turns out to be Cyborg’s next fight.
