Raufeon Stots Dismantles Ryan Lilley in Legacy Fighting Alliance 48 Headliner
The latest gem produced by the powerhouse Roufusport camp planted his flag in Legacy Fighting Alliance soil.
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It took some time for Stots (10-1) to crack his counterpart’s code, but he slowly imposed his well. He staggered Lilley with a crisp right hand in the second round, delivered a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound, nearly finishing it with a rear-naked choke. Stots secured another takedown in the third, climbed to full mount and let the punches fly until referee Bobby Wombacher had seen enough.
Stots, 29, has recorded back-to-back victories since his 15-second
knockout loss to Merab
Dvalishvili in June 2017.
In the flyweight co-main event, Factory X representative Brandon Royval extended his run of consecutive victories to three with a unanimous decision over Charles Johnson. Royval (8-3) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from all three judges, proving he had the necessary fortitude to go the distance.
Johnson (7-2) struggled to match the pace of his hyperactive counterpart. Royval spent much of the first round and parts of the second swarming the St. Charles MMA standout with a variety of strikes on the feet and a series of submissions on the ground. Johnson appeared to turn the tide in Round 3, where he assumed top position, unleashed his ground-and-pound and cinched a modified triangle armbar in the waning seconds. However, the finish he needed failed to materialize.
Royval improved to 4-1 in five appearances under the Legacy Fighting Alliance flag.
Meanwhile, Caleb Born kept his perfect professional record intact, as he upset Kassius Holdorf by unanimous decision in their three-round welterweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it for Born (6-0): 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
Holdorf (11-6) was woefully ineffective. Operating out of a Chute Boxe affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri, Born distracted him with wining power punches, executed takedowns in all three rounds and advanced to full mount on multiple occasions. The 30-year-old promotional newcomer found another gear down the stretch, as he cut off an increasing desperate Holdorf with another takedown, slid to mount and punished him with steady ground-and-pound.
The 32-year-old Holdorf has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.
In other action, undefeated Disorderly Conduct prospect Ryan MacDonald improved to 10-0, as he submitted Trevor Ward with a guillotine choke 2:06 into the second round of their confrontation at 135 pounds; Kevin Croom put away Darrick Minner with a volley of elbows 2:10 into the second round of their featherweight tilt; former University of Nebraska running back Austin Jones eked out a split decision -- 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 -- over Duane Johnson in a 15-minute battle at 170 pounds; Brock Smith took a unanimous decision from Joe Boerschig in a three-round welterweight affair.
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