Bellator 279 fight card: Bantamweight World Grand Prix kicks off, Cris Cyborg makes her return in Hawaii

The quarterfinals of the eight-man tournament begin with Sergio Pettis vs. Raufeon Stots and Patchy Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

Bellator MMA is set to return to Hawaii this April with an absolutely loaded fight card in tow. The promotion will hold two events in the Aloha State beginning with special event for military, veterans and first responders on Friday, April 22. Then on April 23, Bellator 279 brings some incredible action to the cage.

The Bantamweight World Grand Prix kicks off with a pair of matchups in the quarterfinals: division champion Sergio Pettis will take on friend and training partner Raufeon Stots while Patchy Mix battles former champion Kyoji Horiguchi.

Pettis is coming off the incredible stoppage of Horiguchi in December where he was losing the entirety of the fight until he landed the devastating spinning backfist to put the native of Japan to sleep and retain his title. Stots has been nothing short of remarkable since joining the promotion in December 2019, with five straight wins that include a decision over rising contender Magomed Magomedov.

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Mix bounced back from a loss for the vacant title to Juan Archuleta in September 2020 to secure a pair of victories ahead of the tournament.

If that wasn't enough, women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is set to face Arlene Blecowe in a rematch from October 2020. Plus, native Hawaiian and former flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane returns to take on Justine Kish.

All fights are set to take place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.