Bellator Champ Was in Attendance for WWE Royal Rumble
A Bellator champion made an appearance at the Royal Rumble over the weekend. Raufeon Stots recently went to Instagram to post a series of photos and videos of him at one of WWE's biggest events of the year. And in the caption, Stots thanked Cricket Wireless for the tickets and the box seats.
Stots, 34, is the current interim bantamweight champion at Bellator. He won the title at Bellator 279 when he defeated Juan Archuleta via knockout in the third round. His last match was in December when he defeated Danny Sabatello via split decision at Bellator 289. Stots has a 19-1 record in his mixed martial arts career.
After the win against Sabatello, Stots shared his thoughts on the match with reporters. "I was surprised with the 50-45," he said. "I believe he was trying to control; we know that's his game, but he did no damage. I did the things I was supposed to do. I was progressing toward the finish, he was trying to stall the fight out. Just because you hold somebody's legs doesn't mean you should win a fight, and that's how I think it should be. This is mixed martial arts."
Stots also tipped his hat to Sabatello. "I think [Sabatello] was great for my career. He was a great step for me. I needed a villain, someone people thought could hang with me and challenge me. His skills were better than I thought they were, but I still won, so I'm still gonna talk shit to him… I think he'll be back. I think he'll learn from this loss and be better for it. Hopefully, I see him again, because this was a fun fight and a fun buildup, so hopefully."
Stots got to experience a Royal Rumble WWE fans will never forget. Cody Rhodes won the men's Royal Rumble match and will face Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. Rhea Ripley won the women's Royal Rumble match and will challenge Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Reigns defeated Kevin Owens to retain his title, but Sami Zayn turned on Reigns' group The Bloodline when he hit the champ with a chair. It's likely Zayn will challenge Reigns for the title at Elimination Chamber on Feb. 18.