Raufeon Stots reveals big names who turned him down before Bellator 236 victory

HONOLULU – Bellator bantamweight Raufeon Stots enjoyed a winning start in his new promotion, then revealed a pair of the 135-pound division’s big names had already swerved fights with him.

Stots (13-1, 1-0 BMMA) kicked off his Bellator career with a unanimous decision victory over Hawaii’s Cheyden Leialoha (7-2, 0-1 BMMA), earning scores of 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 to extend his overall winning streak to five. And the Roufusport-trained prospect paid tribute to his opponent for battling all the way to the scorecards.

“Yeah, I knew he was going to be tough,” Stots told MMA Junkie backstage after his debut win. “I thought I could get him out of there with a finish, but it was a little different. It was a different experience. I was trying to enjoy everything. It was a good win. I’ve got to thank my opponent, because he’s a tough mofo, and not a lot of people want to fight me, so I end up fighting the toughest around, and he proved to be just that. It’s nice to find a tough opponent.”

Finding a tough opponent hasn’t always been easy for Stots, as he explained that his attempts to jump into the bantamweight division with a big short-notice fight against a top name fell through after a pair of the division’s top contenders turned down fights with him.

When pressed to name names, Stots shrugged and spilled the beans.

“Not to stir up trouble, but there was a guy by the name of Patchy Mix who needed an opponent short notice, and I offered to step in. That didn’t come to fruition. I know James Gallagher needed an opponent late notice, (and) I got a message back that they’re not interested. I had a fight for Japan … and I don’t know what happened with that. But I was way happier to fight here. I’m just happy to know where I’m at, and if we meet each other in the future I’m always more than willing to make those fights.

“I was told that they didn’t want it … because it was short notice for them. But I’m the one stepping in for the fight that they have, so it is what it is. So when I see that, I’m like: ‘OK, you recognize. You know that I’m a legitimate threat to your career path or whatever you’ve got going on, so you don’t want a part of that right now.’ So that’s how I look at it. Who knows if that’s the case or whatever, but they’re more than welcome to prove me wrong. Step in the cage with me.”

Stots admitted fighting for Bellator was a significant step up from life on the regional circuit as he felt the difference in quality, right down to the fighting canvas inside the cage itself.

“It was almost like, I’m used to sleeping on cotton sheets, (but) it’s silk here,” Stots said with a grin. “It’s just a little different, getting comfortable and being able to sleep. That’s how it’s feeling. It was cool.”

Stots said he came through his victory over Leialoha without any serious injuries, and he’d love nothing more than to jump straight back into the Bellator cage as quickly as possible.

“I could fight next week, if I can,” he said. “I’m just ready to fight. I like to fight. This is fun to me. So if I don’t get harmed, why not do it again?”

And after getting the first win of his Bellator career under his belt, the 31-year-old plans on making big waves in the promotion’s bantamweight division in 2020.

“I was happy to get my feet wet, but in 2020, I’m diving in,” Stots said. “Bellator bantamweights, beware. I’m putting you all on notice, I’m here now. Move over, get out of the way, do what you’ve got to do, but I’m coming for the belt. And that’s no disrespect. I just want to fight the best. I want to fight whoever’s going to put me to that next step towards being known as one of the greatest.”