UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Raufeon Stots took one step closer to a Bellator title shot with a big upset win Friday.
Stots (17-1 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) stayed perfect in the promotion with a unanimous decision over Magomed Magomedov (18-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) at Bellator 264 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. He impressed Bellator president Scott Coker with the win, and Coker said there may be good reason to have a bantamweight tournament in 2022.
That would be just fine with Stots, who called for just such a thing after his win. And one of the key reasons a tournament makes sense to him is, the division’s new champion is Sergio Pettis – his longtime teammate, key training partner and friend at Roufusport in Milwaukee.
In fact, Stots said if Bellator decided to fast-track a title shot for him – meaning he’d jump past former champ Juan Archuleta and Patchy Mix in the rankings – he’s not sure how it would play out back home.
“Me and Sergio have been out of sight, out of mind (about fighting each other),” Stots said at the Bellator 264 post-fight news conference. “Until it happens, we’re going to be boys no matter what. But we haven’t even talked about it. Me and my coaches haven’t talked about it. We’ve been focused on this (Magomedov) matchup. I’d love to train at Roufusport (if we get booked). I’m sure Sergio would love to train at Roufusport. … I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we’ll figure it out.”
And while such a quick title shot for Stots might not seem likely, he thinks his win over Magomedov may have elevated him past Archuleta and Mix, meaning a title shot could be justified, at least in his mind, if Bellator wanted to do it.
“I definitely feel like this was the No. 1 contender fight,” Stots said. “I feel like I have a claim now to say I’m the best in the world. This guy beat Petr Yan, who I still regard as the champion of the UFC. (Yan) went 1-1 with this guy, and I kind of dismantled Magomed. So I feel like I’m the best in the world. No matter what promotion or no matter where, I’m the best bantamweight in the world.”
One way to lend credence to that claim would be a bantamweight tournament, particularly if Stots was on the opposite end of the bracket as Pettis – meaning the only way they could meet would be in the $1 million final for Pettis’ belt.
Depending on if it was an 8-man or 16-man tournament, Stots would either have to beat two or three other fighters before the final, where a win could prove his point. And ahead of a matchup with Pettis, he’d get to still keep training with him.
“I’m really hoping for a bantamweight tournament,” Stots said. “It’s up to Belaltor – what Bellator wants to do. But I feel like we have a lot of firepower in the bantamweight division, so I would love a tournament.
“On the plus side, I’d get to train with Sergio a little longer and I’d get to get better. The crazy thing about this is, me and Sergio have been training (together) so long, and we complement each other. I learn so much from Sergio, and Sergio would say the same – he learns so much (from me). I don’t want to stop learning from Sergio to have to fight him because I want to be the best martial artist I can. I understand if that’s what they want to do, but I would love a bantamweight tournament.”
Raufeon Stots doesn’t have a plan yet if he has to fight champion teammate Sergio Pettis
