Scott Coker Targets First Quarter of 2023 for Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix Final

In an ideal world, Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix final will go down early next year.

The 135-pound championship is now set, as interim king Raufeon Stots will square off against Patrick Mix following their victories in the semifinals at Bellator 289this past Friday. Stots edged Danny Sabatello via split decision in one half of the bracket, while Mix submitted Magomed Magomedov in the other half.

As of now, a date has not been set for Stots vs. Mix, but Bellator president Scott Coker does have a timeline in mind.

“We’re going to have to see who’s injured, who’s not injured, and that’s going to determine when they fight,” Coker said at the Bellator 289 post-fight press conference. “We want them to be healthy, fresh and ready to go and not just training through injuries or having to cut weight too quick from this fight.

“We’re going to talk to all the managers Monday and see how everybody’s feeling and then we’ll decide when we throw that fight. Our goal is to get that fight done in the first quarter if we can.”

The Stots-Mix winner will receive $1 million and will be interim 135-pound champion, setting up an eventual date with undisputed title holder Sergio Pettis. The Roufusport product is currently on the mend from a knee injury and hasn’t competed since knocking out Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 a little more than one year ago.