Raufeon Stots would fight teammate Sergio Pettis for Bellator title: 'It's a weird dynamic'
Raufeon Stots knows there’s a possibility he’ll have to fight his teammate in the near future.
The Bellator bantamweight contender is gearing up for a pivotal fight when he takes on Magomed Magomedov on the main card of Bellator 264 on Friday in Uncasville, Conn. It’s a big fight for the division since it pairs two of the top fighters in the weight class.
Stots (16-1 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) is on an eight-fight winning streak, and Magomedov (18-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) hasn’t seen defeat in his past five bouts. Both fighters remain unbeaten under the Bellator banner.
A win at Bellator 264 could put either in the next title challenger slot. With champion Sergio Pettis as his teammate, Stots admits things could get interesting even though the two are handling the situation professionally.
“The champ is my teammate, so there’s not a bunch of sizing up,” Stots told MMA Junkie Radio. “We know each other and we’ve trained together for seven years now. We’re still adding stuff to our game, but we’re pretty aware of who’s good where or who’s better where.
“At this point – and this is why I love Sergio – we’re not looking ahead in that aspect. We’re still teammates at this point, and he’s still helping me prepare for Magomed and he’s still helping me further my career and get better.
“He’s still giving me corners and I’m still giving him corners. So it’s a weird dynamic of maybe fighting my teammate. But I think we’re just both like, ‘If it happens, we’ll address it then and we’ll just focus on the task at hand.’ I have a hefty task. If that stuff happens, we’re open to it. But I’m not focused on it right now.”
Magomedov has only lost once professionally, and that was to former UFC champion Petr Yan. But Magomedov also holds a decision win over Yan.
Stots wants to use this big challenge to prove why he’s one of the best in Bellator.
“I feel like Magomed is probably the most decorated as far as what he’s accomplished, but I feel my career has always been the next guy is always the most decorated,” Stots said. “He has a win over former UFC champion Petr Yan. He’s a former ACB champion. He has a decorated past. But also, Russian MMA is taking off. So this opponent kind of differs because Russia is so hot right now. … This fight will be an eye opener to a lot of people on how you should approach these type of fights and fighters.”