This past weekend at Bellator 282, we saw the quarterfinals conclude in the Bantamweight Grand Prix. Danny Sabatello (13-1) and Magomed Magomedov (19-2) punched their tickets with two impressive victories.
Now, the final four men stand in the Grand Prix. With his win, Magomedov now will meet Patchy Mix (16-1) in the semifinals. Since losing his title shot to Juan Archuleta, Mix has been on a roll winning three straight.
It isn’t just that he’s won three straight, he’s submitted two opponents then defeated Kyoji Horiguchi. Mix is going to be a problem for the rest of these contenders given his skills on the mat. However, Magomedov isn’t going to be an easy out himself.
Magomedov is 3-1 in Bellator with his lone loss coming against interim champion Raufeon Stots (18-1). That loss came back at Bellator 264 last August and was his last bout before jumping into the Grand Prix. He looked sensational last weekend and picked up a fourth round submission victory.
Bellator Interim Title Fight
The most intriguing semifinal matchup in the Bellator Grand Prix will feature the interim bantamweight championship. Champion Raufeon Stots will be defending his title against the entertaining “Italian Gangster” Danny Sabatello.
Sabatello has blown up in popularity due to his colorful and fun post-fight interviews. However, don’t let his mouth overshadow just how suffocating his offensive wrestling is. He’s going to give Stots problems with his ability to wrestle.
Outside of a spinning backfist knockout to Merab Dvalishvili, Raufeon Stots has been perfect in his professional career. In his last fight, he defeated former bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta to become Bellator’s interim champion.
Every time Stots hits the cage, he looks better and better. He’s starting to look like a fighter who is going to be incredibly tough to beat once he reaches his peak. He might be getting close to it. He’s so well-rounded and if he can keep the fight standing with Sabatello, he’s got a great chance at retaining his title.