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The wrestling credentials almost caused a fight on set MMA class as Bellator’s interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello argued over who was the better grappler.
Stotts and Sabatello, who are headlining Bellator 289 in the finals of the promotion’s bantamweight Grand Prix, had to be separated by host Ariel Helwani as anger flared over their careers on the mat.
“I’m a better wrestler,” Stotts said. “We can fight right now, I’ll beat the hell out of him.”
“Let’s go,” replied Sabatello, getting up from his chair.
After Helwani interfered, Sabatello grabbed the belt from Stots, handling an earlier attempt taken by the interim champion.
On one side of the desk was Sabatello, a three-time Division I NCAA qualifier at Purdue University. On the other side was Stotts, a two-time national champion at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Sabatello was impressed that Stotts knew he had been fighting since 4, but that was where the respect ended. By the time they faced off for an extracurricular fight, the sit-down interview was an endless stream of interruptions and insults, with Stotts repeatedly calling Sabatello a “car salesman” and Sabatello calling Stotts a “little bitch.”
After another interruption, Sabatello lost patience.
“Shut the hell up, I’ll go over there and beat you up,” he said.
“Slap me, bro,” Stotts replied. “I want you to slap me.”
And once again Helwani played judge.
“You know you’re not really going to do something because you’re not into it,” Stotts stated. “Car dealer.”
The personal interview heated up a rivalry that has been simmering since Sabatello entered the Bellator Grand Prix. The “Italian Gangster” made a splash in the field as much for his mouth as for his talent, taking out Leandro Higo after a pile of crap. In the opposite bracket, Stots captured the interim belt in a bout with Juan Archuleta after champion Sergio Pettis was pulled from the tournament due to injury.
Sabatello gave Stots the middle finger after his victory, setting up a semi-final fight to earn the right to face Pettis. On the other side of the bracket is a matchup between Patchy Mix and Magomed Magomedov.
As Monday’s clash showed, bragging rights are also on the line when the two clash on Dec. 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
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