Magomed Magomedov hopes he earned a title shot after Bellator X Rizin 2.
Magomedov (20-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) submitted Danny Sabatello (14-3 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) by first-round guillotine choke this past Saturday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo.
Prior to that, Magomedov was eliminated by Patchy Mix in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix semifinal. Now that he’s rebounded, he hopes to have reinserted himself in the title picture and get a shot at the winner of bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis vs. grand prix winner and interim champ Patchy Mix.
“I hope so – obviously that’s the goal,” Magomedov said through an interpreter at the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 post-fight press conference. “If Bellator sees fit, I would love to fight the winner of Pettis and Mix. If it’s Mix, I would love to run it back.
“I got caught in his trap (and) kind of started fighting really late. I would love to get a rematch. And if it’s Pettis, I never fought him before, so that would be great. I’ve been in this sport for a long time. I feel like I really need to get to this title and win the title. It would be a big deal.”
Sabatello was oozing confidence heading into his matchup with Magomedov, but “Tiger” submitted him early. He expected Sabatello to be more physically imposing as a grappler than he thought he was in the fight.
“Just like I expected, he’s a very skilled wrestler and a good fighter,” Magomedov said. “The only thing that surprised me was I thought he was a little stronger, but he did not feel very strong.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.
