Bellator 289 Recap: Stots Triumphs, Carmouche Defends, and…

Bellator 289 took place on December 9, 2022, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Raufeon Stots retained his interim bantamweight championship and advanced to the grand prix final. Patchy Mix won the other semifinal, while Liz Carmouche defended her flyweight title against Juliana Velasquez.

Main Event: Stots vs. Sabatello

Stots defeated Danny Sabatello by split decision after five rounds. Two judges scored the contest 48–47 for Stots, while the third awarded Sabatello all five rounds for a 50–45 score. The sharply different cards became a major talking point.

The official result preserved Stots’s interim belt and his place in the tournament. A split decision identifies disagreement among the judges; it does not change which fighter advances or make the championship result provisional.

Flyweight Rematch: Carmouche vs. Velasquez

Carmouche submitted Velasquez with an armbar at 4:24 of round two. Their first championship meeting had ended in a disputed stoppage, but this rematch supplied a clear submission finish for Carmouche.

Other Grand Prix Semifinal

Mix submitted Magomed Magomedov with a guillotine choke at 2:39 of round two. His victory completed the tournament’s final pairing with Stots.

The two semifinal winners reached that stage by very different routes: Stots needed the scorecards, while Mix ended his fight early. That contrast was one of the card’s defining competitive features.

Supporting Results

Dalton Rosta beat Anthony Adams by unanimous decision, with three 30–27 scores. Christian Echols knocked out Pat Downey with an uppercut at 2:27 of round one, and Kai Kamaka III stopped Kevin Boehm by technical knockout in round three.

Bellator 289 therefore settled both championship and tournament questions on the night. Stots and Mix emerged as the finalists, completing the pairing for the tournament’s championship stage.

The semifinal outcomes established the tournament final while also leaving distinct records of how the fighters advanced. Mix’s submission gave him a finish, whereas Stots had to settle his five-round bout by decision. Carmouche’s defense was a separate championship result from the grand prix, and the later final would determine the tournament winner.

Sources

MMA Fighting: Bellator 289 results; Event results record.

Article Tags

Bellator, Bellator 289, Mixed Martial Arts