UFC fighters occupy 10 of the 15 spots in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings (16 if you count a tie at No. 11). Four spots are occupied by fighters affiliated with Bellator, while ONE Championship occupies one.
You know what Danny Sabatello would call this list? F****** bulls***.
There’s a much simpler answer to the Bellator bantamweight, whose mouth has distinguished him from the start of his short tenure in the Paramount-owned promotion.
“What division am I in? That one,” Sabatello said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “Bellator. No matter what promotion, we have the f ****** top division in MMA. You look at our division, it’s so f****** packed with guys. Then, of course, there’s me. I’m the best bantamweight in the world, so Bellator is the best.
“But I really do think in terms of depth, our top-8 are better than any other promotion’s top-8, no matter if it’s UFC, PFL, ONE, whatever the f*** you want. Bellator’s bantamweight section is unbeatable. I am so excited about the f ****** Tournament because, once I win it, I will be the most respected bantamweight fighter in the world. Bellator’s bantamweight division is getting talked about a lot, and it should just because it’s the best in MMA.”
If history is any indication, the above statement, mostly impossible to prove given promotional lines and probably a vast overstatement given their respective talent pools, will get its messenger shot (verbally). Sabatello is relatively new on the big stage, a grinder who once earned a 30-24 score but no contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, and completely inexperienced against ranked competition. He’s fought two UFC veterans – one knocked him out, and the other he smothered for a decision. Eighteen of his 13 opponents have losing records. At this point, most MMA fans will shrug, dismiss, or ignore him.
Do you know what Danny Sabatello would label those people? F****** idiots.
Until you prove him right, you will just have to continue listening. Chael Sonnen, Sabatello’s hero, and Colby Covington his foe (he rides alongside Jorge Masvidal from the American Top Team). He’s making them both proud ahead of his Bellator 282 meet with LeandroHigo. Covington’s glasses and his bleached blonde hair give him the same charisma. He says he’s just being himself.
The Paramount-owned promotion doesn’t have a lot of natural heels on the mic since Sonnen hung up the gloves, so the company should be thankful. Higo is already biting on the bait, ratcheting up the trash talk, and if Sabatello is able to keep putting his money where his mouth is, it won’t be long before bigger fish get in on the action. Everyone is on his hit list.
“Dude. I’d kill Aljamain [Sterling],” Sabatello. “That’s a fight that, obviously, I can’t call out these UFC guys because I’m just not going to fight them any time soon – I’m in Bellator, it would be silly to call them out. Aljamain would be my opponent. That’s an easy fight stylistically. It’s an easy fight stylistically. However, Bellator is my main focus right now. Those guys are on my plate, but Aljamain that’s an easy fight. That’s an easier fight then Higo or Stots or any of these guys. However, Bellator’s bantamweight Division is undoubtedly the best.
“Look at our f****** top-8 with Magomed – Magomed beat Yan. Stots. Sergio [Pettis] is a suck, I don’t want him to be in the conversation but, yeah, Stots and Magomed, me, Patchy Mix. If he has your back, it’s hard to get away from. [Enrique] Barzola’s pretty good. Higo’s got some good wins.
“When you look at their wrestlers, like Merab [Dvalishvili], who can’t hold anybody down. He does nothing but mat return. They count them for takedowns, but it’s just a mat return. He f ****** cannot hold anyone down. It’s pathetic. Merab would be a great dog-walker. It’s something I take very seriously. I believe the Bellator bantamweight is the best in MMA. This tournament makes it even more special. I love that it’s a tournament, because a lot of times, when you don’t have a tournament, you can pick and choose who gets your title fight. No. I get to f****** go through a tournament, I get to go through the f****** ringer, where nobody can say s***. I had to go through everybody to get this championship.”
This is a hard statement to dispute. He is not capable of reaching the top of the bantamweight ranks. Even if he could fight Sterling or Dvalishvili, he’d offer no upside. He can still win the tournament and show that he is one of the top 135-pound fights around. Save for the champion, who’s nursing an injury, all the top names are in the Belllator bantamweight grand prix. There’s also a $1 million prize at the end of it all.
” I don’t want to even think about it right now,” Sabatello stated. The money will be great. I can think of a zillion different things to do, most of which include models on a yacht in Sicily, but I can probably do that on right now. I am just more concerned about being the greatest bantamweight in all of .”
.
The money is just one of the carrots on the road. There’s also the satisfaction that comes from the lifelong wrestler within Sabatello that cares most about the competition, the honor being called the best. This is not an opportunity to be a champion for a lifetime. He would like to be in the ring, raise his hand, then party loudly. This is not his play for MMA immortality.
Do you know what Danny Sabatello has to say about fighters who wish their names could ring forever?
“People would like to claim that this is a legacy. They want their names to continue on after they are gone,” he stated. He said, “Dude! I don’t care ***..” It will be over. I won’t even be able to have a chance to care, so who gives a s***.”
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