Bellator 295 Recap: Mix Claims Grand Prix Title with…

Bellator 295 took place on April 22, 2023, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Patchy Mix knocked out Raufeon Stots to win the bantamweight grand prix and interim championship. The card also featured Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s close decision over Kana Watanabe and Aaron Pico’s return to winning form.

Grand Prix Final: Mix vs. Stots

Mix ended the main event with a knee at 1:20 of round one. The knockout secured the interim bantamweight belt and the tournament’s $1 million prize. It was a remarkably short conclusion to a competition built around multiple rounds of elite opposition.

The interim championship and the grand prix were both at stake, but the victory did not itself constitute a unification with the undisputed title. Keeping those honors distinct makes the significance of the result clear.

Macfarlane and Pico Earn Decisions

Macfarlane defeated Watanabe by split decision. Two judges scored the fight 29–28 for Macfarlane, while the third favored Watanabe by the same margin.

Pico defeated James Gonzalez by unanimous decision, with three 30–27 scorecards. His successful return contrasted with the uncertainty of the co-main event: every judge awarded him all three rounds.

Medeiros vs. Leary: Result Changed

Yancy Medeiros initially submitted Charlie Leary with a rear-naked choke at 4:39 of round one. That result was later overturned to a no contest after Medeiros failed a drug test. The original submission remains part of the event’s chronology, but the official record must reflect the subsequent change.

Other Results

Mads Burnell defeated Justin Gonzales by unanimous decision, and Sumiko Inaba earned a unanimous decision against Veta Arteaga. The night’s defining image remained Mix’s finishing knee, with the official results also recording the outcomes of the supporting bouts.

Mix’s result carried two honors at once: the tournament win and the interim belt. It should be read separately from a later title unification, which was not decided in Honolulu. The card also showed why event records can change after fight night: Medeiros’s submission was the in-cage result, but the subsequent failed test changed the official outcome to a no contest.

Sources

MMA Fighting: original event results; Tapology: Medeiros–Leary no-contest record; Event results record.

Article Tags

Bellator, Bellator 295, Mixed Martial Arts