Danny Sabatello and interim Bantamweight champion, Raufeon Stots, will face off in the semifinals of Bellator MMA’s Bantamweight Grand Prix at Bellator 289 on Dec. 9, 2022, but the two almost got things started earlier than expected.
During a joint in-person interview on The MMA Hour, the two men nearly came to blows, prompting host Ariel Helwani from stepping in to prevent an all-out melee, as evidenced by the video embedded above.
Like, Conor McGregor did to Jose Aldo during their memorable media tour, Sabatello took Stot’s belt in defiance. Sabatello has quickly earned the reputation of the promotion’s bad boy thanks to his outspoken personality and attitude, which has been on full display during his post-fight interviews. In fact, “The Italian Gangster’s” foul mouth has already cost him some big bucks after he was fined a whopping $5,000 for “abusive language” following his win over Leandro Higo at Bellator 282 earlier this year.
But that’s not going to stop him from doing it again.
Sabatello defeated Jornel Lugo at Bellator 278 in a tournament qualifier via unanimous decision before defeating Higo to punch his semifinals ticket. As for Stots, he won the interim belt by knocking out Juan Archuleta at Bellator 279 (see it again here). The winner will earn a trip to the finals and a shot at $1 million.
To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.