Renat Khavalov remains undefeated and scores the biggest win of his professional MMA career, defeating former interim Bellator champion Raufeon Stots in the co-main event of PFL Chicago.
Despite Stots' NCAA wrestling experience, it was Dagestan's Khavalov who outworked him in grappling. Khavalov controlled the action for the first 10 minutes with his clinchwork and takedowns, mixing in inside shots for good measure.
The two traded strikes throughout the third round, with Stots seemingly landing the more effective strikes but not doing enough to deter Khavalov.
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All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in Khavalov's favor.
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Renat Khavalov Defeats Raufeon Stots At PFL Chicago
This bout was promoted to the co-main event slot just minutes before PFL Chicago's start after Jordan Newman withdrew from his bout against Josh Silveira.
Since the closure of Bellator, Stots, the former interim Bellator bantamweight champion, has had two fights in PFL prior to tonight. He defeated Marcos Breno at the PFL Battle of the Giants card in October 2024 and lost to Sergio Pettis this past June.
Khavalov was a perfect 10-0 entering tonight. The former Eagle FC champion entered tonight 3-0 in the PFL, scoring wins over Cleiver Fernandes, Vilson Ndregjoni, and Edgars Skrivers.
