Renat Khavalov remained unbeaten and scored the biggest win of his career, beating former interim Bellator champion Raufeon Stots by unanimous decision in the co‑main event of PFL Chicago.
How the fight played out
Khavalov used strong grappling to control most of the fight. For the first 10 minutes he worked in the clinch, took Stots down and mixed in short inside punches. That control kept the pace in Khavalov’s favor and limited Stots’ chances to strike.
In the third round the fighters traded more strikes. Stots landed some cleaner shots, but he did not do enough to change the momentum. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Khavalov.
Card changes and fight placement
The bout was moved up to the co‑main event only minutes before the show began after Jordan Newman withdrew from his fight with Josh Silveira. The late change made Khavalov vs. Stots one of the key fights on the PFL Chicago card.
Background on the fighters
Khavalov comes from Dagestan and entered the fight with a perfect 10-0 pro record. He is a former Eagle FC champion and had started his PFL run 3-0 with wins over Cleiver Fernandes, Vilson Ndregjoni and Edgars Skrivers.
Stots is a former interim Bellator bantamweight champion and has NCAA wrestling experience. Since Bellator closed, Stots had two PFL outings before this night: a win over Marcos Breno at the PFL Battle of the Giants in October 2024 and a loss to Sergio Pettis in June.
What this result means
The unanimous decision win gives Khavalov the biggest name on his résumé so far and keeps his unbeaten streak intact. For Stots, the loss is a setback after moving into the PFL following his Bellator run.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Renat Khavalov | Won by unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Remains undefeated (entered 10-0). |
| Raufeon Stots | Lost by unanimous decision (29-28 x3). Former interim Bellator bantamweight champion. |
