The fourth edition of BELLATOR’s annual events in Hawaii featured a sure-fire “knockout of the year” candidate, when Patchy Mix (18-1) stopped Raufeon Stots with a knee 80 seconds into their BELLATOR World Grand Prix Final on Saturday at the Blaisdell Arena in Oahu. With the win, Mix becomes the Interim Bantamweight Champion, the Bantamweight World Grand Prix Champion and the winner of the life-changing one-million-dollar prize.
BELLATOR 295: Stots vs. Mix also saw Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (13-2) earn a split decision victory against No. 2-ranked Kana Watanabe (11-2) in front of a partisan crowd. After the bout, Macfarlane asked for one last shot at the BELLATOR Flyweight World Championship, a title currently held by her former teammate, Liz Carmouche.
Also, during the main card, Yancy Medeiros (17-8, 1 NC) submitted Charlie Leary with a sleek rear-naked choke, and Aaron Pico (11-4) continues to impress at featherweight, teeing off on James Gonzalez (10-5) with body shots en route to a unanimous decision.
See below for quotes from Saturday’s winners:
Patchy Mix:
On the knee that led to the finish: “Out of nowhere. I’ve been working that shot. Right before we walked out, we were drilling good, and it landed. We put him out. I developed that knee because, as a southpaw, I’m going against Orthodox styles. I’ve been working that shot since 18 months ago in Ireland. I knew that Stots shoots. He’s so naive to think that I’m just a grappler. I’m a dog in the gym. No one outworks me. I know I don’t have a lot of knockouts, because I submit people, but don’t think I’m not a striker. It’s just the easiest way to win.”
“I knew that when I would feint him, he would put his hands down. He was expecting the shot.”
On the win being more satisfying because of Stots’ trash talk: “As much as I thought it would be, it wasn’t. There’s nothing satisfying about putting someone out cold. He’s got a family. We’ve both got kids. I never want to hurt him. Hearing his story, it’s similar to mine. It’s just that we’re fighting for the same prize. Two bad it couldn’t be two $500,000 checks. It’s a cruel game, but that’s the game we play. If it’s not him, it’s me, and I’m not gonna let that happen. I want to see him again because he was talking shit and I was talking shit. I don’t think he’s going home thinking that I’m better than him, just that I caught him. I hope to see him again down the line.”
On taking confidence from training with Stots in the past: “He trained with me ahead of the Horiguchi fight. It gave me a benchmark: to work harder than I saw him working. Not only did I believe I could submit him because my training partners have submitted him in the past, but that I could knock him out of the feet. When I do what I do, I finish that guy every day of the week.”
On the upcoming Bantamweight Championship match: “I don’t know if [Sergio] Pettis wants to fight me. He picked Stots to win, and I don’t know how he could do that. I think [Patricio] Pitbull takes it; you can’t pick against him. I want to fight the pound-for-pound number one. I want to fight the best. Regardless, I believe I’m the best bantamweight in the world today. I’m just getting better. I’m just growing into my prime now. My first loss was because of my pride and immaturity. Now I’m older and wise. I’m totally evolved. Im not just a grappler. I can do everything, and I’m here to prove it.”
On his plans for the million-dollar prize: “Buy my mom a house, take care of my family, and get back in the gym. I’m grateful for my family and friends; everybody who came out to Hawaii. I’m grateful to walk out with a million bucks, the belt, but Raufeon Stots’ name on my resume more than anything.”
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane:
On Kana Watanabe: “[Kana Watanbe’s] control was so good on the ground. We were prepared for her judo sweeps and everything. We prepared that as soon as it hit the ground, we’d have to scramble. She wasn’t giving me any space. I honestly thought I lost, but I always think that in the fights that go to a decision because I’m so used to finishing, that when it goes to a decision I consider it a loss.”
On fighting to a decision: “I think that this is a testament to how the division has grown. This is a good thing. It’s harder for me to get the finish, but that just shows how deep our division is getting and how high-level these women are. Now, I have to be a little bit more tactical and strategic than go for the finish and possibly lose the position.”
“We haven’t done a women’s Grand Prix in any division, and the flyweight division is the way to go. I’ve been calling for one since 2019. Every flyweight fight this weekend has been badass. I would be down; a million dollars is pretty sweet. Uncle Scott — let’s do a Grand Prix! I’ve been thinking about retirement more seriously lately because I wanted to start a family. But, a million dollars [would be] pretty cool. So, I could push back baby-making for a little bit.”
“Everything feels good. I’m not at Queens Hospital right now in the ER, so that’s a huge relief, too. I’m motivated right now. I need to stay motivated, especially [since] the title could very well be next. I need to stay focused, stick to the plan, and keep going.”
On her walk-out: “It’s so hard not to be emotional. It’s just crazy. I’m standing in the back, and they open up the curtain just a little bit, and I see my friends, my old high school schoolmates, and they’re all like, ‘Ilima!’ They were the last people I would have expected to be there, so I was just so overwhelmed. I started crying backstage. Then the dancers, so strong, the fiercest women, just walking me to battle. I challenge anyone to do that walkout and not be overwhelmed.”
On friend Liz Carmouche’s title defense last night: “I know Liz [Carmouche] so well. We know each other so well. I feel like I know what was going on in her head. I was sitting with her wife, and we were yelling instructions. I was getting nervous; I was. But, in true Liz fashion, she just pulls a choke out. That’s how Liz is. That’s her style. We were very relieved when she pulled that out. Even [more so] because she didn’t have to take that fight; DeAnna [Bennett] missed weight for a third time — in BELLATOR.”
Yancy Medeiros:
“I was hearing the crowd in the back, and I was like, ‘I don’t hear the crowd.’ My fight? I’m gonna make them roar. I’m going to give them what they paid for… I was asking my coaches, ‘Were there any finishes?’ I’m glad I can keep doing that. I’m here to entertain.”
“Charlie [Leary] just came back from the dead after I dropped him; he’s tough, man, he’s tough. When I dropped him, I hadn’t felt that feeling in so long. When I dropped him again, I thought, ‘Go to the ground. That’s where the finish is gonna be,’ and that’s where it was.”
“I’m always looking for a finish. When I hurt him the first time, I was trying to put him away. So then I thought tactically; the next time I get him down, I needed to use all of my skills. I thought, ‘Next time I get him down, I’m getting it done.’”
“The next one’s at 155, 170. You saw what I did in that cage. I’ll do it at any weight.”
On His Reception from the Hawaiian Crowd: “It’s kind of uncontrollable. It’s inevitable. I wasn’t celebrating for myself, I was celebrating because I’m loved. The win is great, but the love is everything. It’s something I can’t help but perpetuate. We’re all together. We’re all human. We can all come together for love, even in this vicious sport. Don’t pay it back. Pay it forward. Give it to somebody else.”
“If anybody’s injured in that Lightweight Grand Prix, let me know. Hawaii will keep up this wave [of momentum] and keep it hot. Mahalo!”
Aaron Pico:
On His Takeaways from the Fight: “It was really good for my development. The whole game plan for this fight was to stay on the feet. We wanted to stay comfortable on my feet the whole fight if we could. Whatever I need to do to grow as a fighter, that’s what we’re going to do.”
On Thinking about His Injury in the Cage: “That thought is out of my head. I had surgery. If you have that hesitation going into the fight, you probably shouldn’t be fighting. I don’t let that thought enter my head. I throw with a lot of power, and I can’t have that kind of hesitation. No hesitation; we always say that in practice. No hesitation.”
“A lot of people don’t really understand that it’s so scary to take a fight on a week’s notice because he has nothing to lose. This guy [James Gonzalez] was no slouch coming from a great team in Serra-Longo. I don’t take anything for granted in this sport. I’ve been humbled in this sport. We knew he was very, very tough. He was durable.”
“I knew this guy was going to be so tough and look for big, hard shots. I had to be very disciplined. This fight went exactly as I imagined it. I knew it would be hard to take him out, so I had a feeling that it was gonna go three rounds. Some guys are tough. If we have to go three rounds, we’ll go three rounds.”
On His Title Aspirations: “I’m ready to be a world champion. Now’s the time. I’m ready. [Patricio] Pitbull’s going down, and from what I’ve heard, he’s staying at 135 lbs. Me and Jeremy [Kennedy] should [rematch for the vacant title]. We shouldn’t hold up the division. When Pitbull’s ready, we’ll welcome him back to the division. I’m going to fight for a world championship. Whatever I need to do, I’m going to do. I think [what makes] the most sense is me fighting for the title.”
