After an action-packed night last night with Bellator 278, Bellator turns around again tonight to bring Bellator 279, once again live from the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.
A rematch will be featured in the main event as Cris Cyborg faces Arlene Blencowe for the featherweight title. Their first fight at Bellator 249 was fun while it lasted, but had Cyborg submitting Blencowe in the second round. Since that fight, Cyborg has defended her title against Leslie Smith and Sinead Kavanagh, finishing both of them. Blencowe has also won two fights, stopping Dayana Silva and picking up a decision over Pam Sorenson.
After the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix started last night with two wild card bouts, the tournament officially starts tonight with two opening round bouts. In the co-main event, the Interim Bantamweight Championship will also be up for grabs in the fight between former champion Juan Archuleta and fast-rising contender Raufeon Stots. This fight will be Archuleta’s first since losing his title to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258, while Stots has gone 5-0 since joining Bellator in 2019.
Another former champion competes in the other opening round bout when Kyoji Horiguchi battles tenacious grappler and former title challenger Patchy Mix. Also a former Rizin bantamweight champion, Horiguchi lost to Pettis at Bellator 272 in a fight he controlled for the most part before being clipped by a spinning backfist. Mix, meanwhile, has won two straight after dropping his title shot to Archuleta at Bellator 246.
Also on the main card is Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, who is set to fight in front of a home crowd against UFC veteran Justine Kish. Macfarlane has not fought in over a year, when she lost her flyweight championship and undefeated record to Juliana Velasquez at Bellator 254. She will look to work her way back to the belt, but Kish is standing in her way. The Russian-American striker has lost five of her last six, but should never be counted out.
Kicking off the main card action is former UFC fan favorite Yancy Medeiros, who is set to make his Bellator debut in front of a home crowd against former two-time featherweight title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez, who fights at lightweight for the first time in the promotion.
The preliminary and postliminary cards are also stacked, where Hawaiians and contenders both abound. Kai Kamaka III, Keoni Diggs, Bobby King, Sumiko Inaba, Nainoa Dung, Ryan Dela Cruz, and Maraya Miller will all represent the Island State. Contenders Justin Gonzales, Goiti Yamauchi, and Janay Harding are featured, as well as veterans Dayana Silva and Jordan Winski. Prospects Levan Chokheli, Whittany Pyles, Lance Gibson Jr., and Randi Field are also on the card.
MMA Sucka has fight fans covered with Bellator 279 results, with the preliminary card starting at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on Bellator’s YouTube page, followed by the main card at 10:30pm ET/7:30pm PT on Showtime. Action will then conclude with three postlim fights back on YouTube following the main card.
Bellator 279 Results
Postliminary Card
Jordan Winski def. Ryan Dela Cruz via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Randi Field def. Maraya Miller via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:48 of Round 2
Sumiko Inaba def. Whittany Pyles via KO (Left Hook) at 1:22 of Round 1
Main Card
Cris Cyborg def. Arlene Blencowe via Unanimous Decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45), defends Bellator Featherweight Championship
Raufeon Stots def. Juan Archuleta via KO (Knee and Elbows) at 0:16 of Round 3, wins Interim Bellator Bantamweight Championship and advances to next round of Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix
Justine Kish def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Patchy Mix def. Kyoji Horiguchi via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47), advances to next round of Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix
Yancy Medeiros def. Emmanuel Sanchez via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Goiti Yamauchi def. Levan Chokheli via Submission (Armbar) at 3:49 of Round 1
Bobby King def. Keoni Diggs via Split Decision (29-28 K, 28-29, 30-27)
Dayana Silva def. Janay Harding via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Justin Gonzales def. Kai Kamaka III via Split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Lance Gibson Jr. def. Nainoa Dung via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)
