Ex-Bellator interim champion Raufeon Stots looks to get back on track when he fights at the upcoming PFL Chicago card on April 11, when he faces undefeated Russian mauler Renat Khavalov.
PFL officials confirmed the bantamweight matchup to MMA Fighting on Thursday.
A mainstay in Bellator for several years, Stots worked his way up through the division before eventually becoming an interim champion with a vicious head kick knockout over Juan Archuleta during a bantamweight grand prix. He actually defended the interim title with a win over Danny Sabatello, but then suffered a knockout loss of his own when he faced Patchy Mix in 2023.
Stots picked up two more wins but then dropped a decision to Sergio Pettis in his second PFL appearance in 2025.
As for Khavalov, he enters the fight with a perfect 11-0 record, training under UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team from Dagestan. Khavalov is currently 3-0 in the PFL, and he’ll attempt to pick up the biggest win of his career when he faces Stots in April.
Stots vs. Khavalov is set for a main card spot with the event being headlined by Sergio Pettis vs. Mitch McKee, which also takes place in the bantamweight division.
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