Bellator 279 Recap: Cyborg’s Triumph and Event Highlights

Bellator 279 took place on April 23, 2022, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Cris Cyborg retained her featherweight championship against Arlene Blencowe, while Raufeon Stots won the interim bantamweight belt. The event also included another bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal and a successful Bellator debut for Yancy Medeiros.

Main Event: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2

Cyborg defeated Blencowe by unanimous decision, with three identical 49–45 scorecards. She received a point deduction for an illegal knee, but still won the championship rematch convincingly.

Unlike their first meeting, which ended in a submission, Blencowe completed all five rounds this time. Her durability extended the contest without changing the eventual title outcome: Cyborg left Honolulu with her belt.

Interim Title: Stots vs. Archuleta

Stots stopped Juan Archuleta at 0:16 of round three to win the interim bantamweight championship. The bout also served as a grand prix quarterfinal, so Stots advanced in the tournament as well as claiming the interim belt.

The result linked a championship change to the tournament bracket. Winning the quarterfinal kept Stots in the competition, while the interim title added a separate honor to the same victory.

Mix Advances, Kish Wins

Patchy Mix defeated Kyoji Horiguchi by unanimous decision in the other featured bantamweight quarterfinal. Every judge scored the five-round contest 48–47 for Mix.

Justine Kish beat Ilima-Lei Macfarlane by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–27, 29–28 and 29–28. Medeiros also earned a unanimous decision against Emmanuel Sanchez in his promotional debut.

Event Significance

The card paired stability at featherweight with change at bantamweight. Cyborg retained her championship, while Stots gained the interim belt and Mix moved forward in the grand prix. The supporting decisions gave the Hawaii event important local storylines alongside its two championship contests.

The event combined a successful featherweight defense with an interim bantamweight title change. Stots’s tournament quarterfinal win advanced him and gave him the interim belt, while Mix’s decision over Horiguchi advanced a separate contender in the bracket. Those two bantamweight results made the grand prix a central part of the card beyond the Cyborg–Blencowe rematch.

Sources

MMA Fighting: Bellator 279 results; MMA Fighting: championship recap.

Article Tags

Bellator, Bellator 279, Mixed Martial Arts