HONOLULU – Raufeon Stots has another one for the highlight reel – and a gold belt, too.
In the Bellator 279 co-main event, Stots (18-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) defeated former champion Juan Archuleta (25-4 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) by knockout 16 seconds into Round 3 to win the interim bantamweight title and move on in the promotion’s grand prix. The event took place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
Up until the final exchange, the fight was a relatively grapple-heavy affair. Archuleta scored a takedown early before Stots got one of his own. The second round was mostly striking, topped off by some cage control by Archuleta to close out the frame.