5 takeaways from Bellator 278 and 279

#4. Interim Bellator bantamweight champion crowned

The interim bantamweight champion was among the new champions crowned at the Hawaii events. Raufeon Stots finished Juan Archuleta after landing a knee to the head and followed up with ground strikes.

The fight between Stots and Archuleta was the second Grand Prix bout as Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi took place earlier. Stots looked great in his win over the former bantamweight champion. His most recent performances have made a strong case for why he should be considered a favorite to win the tournament.

'Supa' will now defend the interim bantamweight championship throughout the Grand Prix with the win. He could have two title defenses and an established title reign if he wins it all.

With current champion Sergio Pettis expected to be out of action all year, this is unique. An eventual title unification bout could see the interim champion have more title defenses than the reigning champion.

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#3. Cyborg and Blencowe deliver a slugfest at Bellator 279

Women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg (Photo credit: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA)

The main event of Bellator 279 exceeded all expectations and delivered quite the slugfest for the women’s featherweight championship. Cris Cyborg and Arlene Blencowe traded haymakers. The champion got the better of the exchanges against the challenger and opened up a significant cut above her left eye.

‘Angerfist’ didn’t let the cut stop her as she remained active and tried swinging for a knockout. She caught Cyborg a few times, which earned her respect, but she couldn’t match the number of strikes that landed.

It was a much better performance for Blencowe in the rematch than their first bout. She went the distance with the champion but lost via unanimous decision. 'Angerfist' is 39 years old, and it could be challenging to earn a third opportunity. But she can earn a title shot should Cyborg lose the title.