NORWICH, Conn. – The trash talk between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello in the lead up to their main event matchup has been intense, but one side finds all of it humorous.
Interim Bellator bantamweight champion Stots (18-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) faces Sabatello (13-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in the headliner of Bellator 289 on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
While the competitors have engaged in a number of expletive-filled verbal exchanges since their fight was set, Stots has not let his bantamweight grand prix semifinal opponent get under his skin.
“I’ve been having fun the whole time,” Stots told MMA Junkie and other reporters at media day on Wednesday. “I just feel like this is gonna be the most competitive part. I feel like the fight is not gonna be very competitive. So, bring on all the trash talk ’cause that’s the more chips on the table and more things I get to throw in your face when I beat the sh*t out of you.”
Sabatello recently told MMA Junkie that he sees “straight fear” in Stots, and that pressure is all on on the interim champion’s shoulders. Undefeated in three fights with Bellator, Sabatello also believes he’s in Stots’ head as the moment of their big fight approaches. However, Stots feels the exact opposite.
“I think it works to my advantage,” Stots said about Sabatello assuming he has affected his mentality. “Because he must not understand my head how I think. I feel like I can turn on my viciousness, you know? Turn it off and on. I am ready and willing to put myself in a position to be very vicious this fight.
“… I don’t think he’s in my head as much as he thinks he is, but if he thinks I am, maybe I’m in his head. He don’t got a lot to think about. He said he go to sleep and think about me, so I’m sure I’m definitely in his head.”
Stots became interim bantamweight champ by head kick knockout of Juan Archuleta in the third round at Bellator 279. Entering on a 10-fight winning streak, “Supa” is extremely confident in his abilities over his opponent’s, although he does give Sabatello some credit where it is due.
“I feel like I’m better than him everywhere,” Stots said. “The only place he poses a threat is wrestling, and that’s an edge. He probably edges me in wrestling. Anywhere else, I feel like I dominate him – if we were to do a jiu-jitsu match, if we were to do a striking match.
“If we were to a wrestling match, he might win by like a riding point – but to be honest, I feel like I’d beat the sh*t out of him, but I like to give my opponent the benefit of the doubt. Like, if I give him the benefit of the doubt, I’ll give him a point, maybe.”
The winner of the Bellator 289 main event will advance to the bantamweight grand prix final, where Stots or Sabatello will face the winner of Patchy Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov, which also takes place on Friday’s main card.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.
