Tomorrow night in the headliner of Bellator 289, we are going to see a semifinal matchup in the bantamweight Grand Prix that also has the interim title on the line. Interim champion Raufeon Stots (18-1) will look to defend his title against “The Italian Gangster” Danny Sabatello (13-1).
Stots was supposed to start the Grand Prix taking on Sergio Pettis for the title. However, after Pettis tore his ACL, Stots was placed in a matchup with Juan Archuleta for the interim title. Stots knocked him out with a head kick to win the title. Outside of a flash KO loss to Merab Dvalishvili, Stots has been flawless in his professional career.
Sabatello started really gaining steam when he joined Bellator back in 2021. So far, he’s gone a perfect 3-0 in the promotion, but it’s his skills on the mic that has really garnered attention. There has been a lot of trash talk leading up to this fight and both men are looking to prove they are the better man.
Bellator 289 Prediction
Both of these men are really good wrestlers. If I had to give the slight edge, I would lean towards Sabatello in pure wrestling and grappling pressure. Sabatello is going to shoot like crazy tomorrow night and he’s not going to stop throughout five rounds.
If he gets on top of Stots, he’s going to be smothering and he’s going to throw big shots. Question is, can he get Stots to the ground? On the feet, I don’t think these two are very close. I think Raufeon Stots has a big advantage on the feet.
When these two are striking, Stots is going to get the better of Sabatello. So, who’s going to win the fight? I’m going to lean towards Raufeon Stots at Bellator 289. If Sabatello can consistently land takedowns, he has a clear path to victory. However, I think they’ll be enough striking for Stots to win at least three rounds.
Prediction: Raufeon Stots by Decision