Cris Cyborg bloodies Arlene Blencowe in unanimous decision at Bellator 279

In the second of two Bellator MMA events this weekend in Honolulu, Hawaii, women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and Arlene Blencowe rematched in the Bellator 279 main event on Saturday.

Cyborg pressured Blencowe and unloaded combinations. Blencowe landing right hands, but was dropped by a right hand by Cyborg. As Cyborg was working for the finish, she landed an illegal knee to a downed opponent. The referee deducted a point and the fight resumed.

In the second round, Blencowe began landing punches. Cyborg target the lead leg of Blencowe and connected with an elbow the opened up a nasty cut over Blencowe’s left eye.

In the third, Blencowe knocked Cyborg off balance with a clean left hand. Cyborg delivered more leg kicks, front kicks and right hands. Cyborg finished the round strong and was connecting twice as often as Blencowe.

Blencowe landed a big right hand to start the fourth frame. She partially caught a kick and countered with a right hand that knocked Cyborg off balance. Cyborg closed the distance and slammed Blencowe to the canvas via suplex. She landed in side control and delivered elbows to the body. Blencowe scrambled to her feet. By the end of the fourth round, Blencowe’s face was a bloody mess.

Cyborg had her way in the final round landing front kicks and combinations. Blencowe fired back with punches meant to end the fight, but Cyborg remained composed. In the closing minute, Blencowe challenged Cyborg to stand toe-to-toe in the center of the cage and exchange. Cyborg didn’t take the bait but she continued to land strikes.

After 25 minutes of fighting, all three judges scored the fight for Cyborg. All three scorecards read 49-45. It was the first time anyone has taken Cyborg the distance since she signed with the fight promotion in 2019.

“I’m just looking for the biggest fight,” Cyborg said after defending her title. “I don’t care if it’s Cat Zingano, Amanda Nunes, or Harrison, Kayla Harrison. I just want big fights for my fans.”

In the co-main event, Raufeon Stots captured the interim bantamweight title and advanced in the Bellator World Bantamweight Grand Prix by knocking out former champion Juan Archuleta.

Archuleta was able to control Stots in the first two rounds with takedown attempts and utilizing the clinch. Early in the third frame, Stots unloaded a kick and his knee connected to the head of Archuleta. Archuleta stumbled to the canvas and Stots finished with a series of punches on the ground.

“I’m coming. If you want some, come get some. They call me the bully. You Goddamn right. I’m a bully in here. I’m nasty with it. If you want some, come get some,” Stots said following the win.

Stots extended his winning streak to nine consecutive fights. He hasn’t tasted defeat since 2017.

UFC Vegas 52 Results: Jessica Andrade taps out Amanda Lemos and makes history

Bellator 279 Official Results:

MAIN CARD

Champ Cris Cyborg def. Arlene Blencowe via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45)
Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots def. Juan Archuleta via KO (knee and punches) – Round 3, 0:16
Justine Kish def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Patchy Mix def. Kyoji Horiguchi by unanimous decision (48–47, 48–47, 48–47)
Yancy Medeiros def. Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELMINARY CARD