We’ve got a date and location for the next step in Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix.
Interim titleholder Raufeon Stots (18-1 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) will take on Danny Sabatello (13-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) in one of two semifinals at Bellator 289 in December. On the other half of the bracket, Magomed Magomedov (19-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) is matched up against sometimes-training partner Patchy Mix (16-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA).
Bellator 289 will take place Dec. 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie. Bellator officials announced the event Monday following an initial report from “The MMA Hour.”
Stots won the interim 135-pound title with a third-round head-kick knockout of Juan Archuleta at Bellator 279 in Honolulu in April. It was Stots’ 10th straight win and came in the tournament quarterfinals.
He’ll take on Sabatello, with whom he’s developed a fairly solid rivalry. Sabatello and his brash, trash-talking persona burst onto the scene this year with a play-in win over Jornel Lugo at Bellator 278. At Bellator 282 in June, he outworked Leandro Higo to reach his semifinal fight with Stots.
Magomedov lost to Stots in August 2021. But he bounced babck in June with a fourth-round submission of Enrique Barzola at Bellator 282 to get to the semifinals against Mix. Mix beat Kyoji Horiguchi with a unanimous decision in his semifinal fight at Bellator 279 in April. It was his third straight win.
The four semifinalists are working for an eventual title unification bout with champ Sergio Pettis, who currently is on the shelf.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.
