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Cass Bell’s unbeaten run as an MMA pro came to an end on Friday night, when he lost to Raufeon Stots at Bellator 242 in Connecticut.

The Humboldt County native lost the bantamweight fight by way of a rear naked choke a minute and a half into the third and final round.

The experienced Stots improved to 14-1, while the defeat was the first in six professional fights for the 33-year-old Bell.

“He’s probably the most underrated guy we have on our card tonight,” is how one of the commentators described the Humboldt native, who is known as the Mean Green Fighting Machine, adding that both Stots and Bell are “two guys that are outstanding technically.” 

Stots got the better of exchanges in each of the opening two rounds, but Bell gave little away with a technically strong fight.

The commentator further described the battle as a “high level chess match.”

Bell, a former Arcata High wrestler who fights out of the Institute of Combat in Arcata, could be heard to give a shout out to Humboldt on his way to the cage.

Bellator 242 is the first Bellator event since February because of COVID-19 and was held with no fans in attendance.