Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA Danny Sabatello and Raufeon Stots
Bellator MMA bantamweight fighter Danny Sabatello picked up a win on Friday night, but his post-fight interview had more drama than the fight itself.
“The Italian Gangster” is quickly becoming a notable name in the MMA world. With his brash and uncensored personality, Sabatello sports a professional record of 13-1 and has captured the attention of many fans.
Bellator 282 went down on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Sabatello fought during the card’s co-main event against Leandro Higo as part of the 135-pound tournament.
Utilizing his superior wrestling, Sabatello dominated most of the fight by controlling Higo on the ground en route to a unanimous decision win. The contest was less than exciting, however, and the crowd voiced their displeasure by raining boos down onto the cage.
Watch what unfolded by clicking onto the YouTube video embedded below:
After flipping off the crowd multiple times, Sabatello spoke with Bellator MMA commentator “Big” John McCarthy inside the cage. And he didn’t have pleasant things to say about the Uncasville audience.
“Danny, you went out there and you did your type of fight,” McCarthy said. “You made it ugly, you made it grimy. Wrestling was the difference.”
“Yeah, you know what, Big John?” Sabatello said, grabbing the mic. “I was told if I swore at my post-fight interview, I might get fined. So, it’s a good thing I don’t give a f***!
“I just beat an absolute animal and not one of you are going to do s***,” The Italian Gangster continued, speaking to the crowd. “You want to do something? Come in here right now and do something.”
Sabatello Decided to Double Down, Called the Audience Members ‘P******’
As boos continued, McCarthy said: “Now that you have the crowd on your side, you had a good fight as far as you were able to stop… Except for the second round he caught you, he got in the top position. You survived all the attempts that he had in trying to choke you. You learned from that moment on, you kept going back to the same thing. How did you feel as far as the way you were fighting in here?”
“Yeah, I’m glad that I faced that adversity inside the Bellator cage,” Sabatello answered.
“You know it’s a lot when they’re so many f****** people, you’re on Showtime. But, I weathered that storm. I was patient, I came back and I dominated. That’s what I do. I rile up the crowd because all of you are p****** and none of you will do s***.”
Sabatello & Raufeon Stots Got Into It Inside the Cage
Sabatello then turned his attention to his next opponent, interim 135-pound champion Raufeon Stots. The two will meet in the tournament’s semi-finals.
Stots was in attendance and he entered the cage while The Italian Gangster spoke with McCarthy. Naturally, the two got into it and McCarthy had to separate the fighters.
Stots was asked for his take on Sabatello’s performance, and he said: “He f****** sucked! That s*** was terrible. That s*** was terrible, God damn! Like, all you can do is wrestle, bro. Oh my God.
“Hey, I want to say congratulations to Danny Sabatello because you won yourself an a** whipping. So congratulations.”
The two then squared off, and of course, more Bellator MMA staff had to step in.