Neither Danny Sabatello nor Raufeon Stots have competed professionally under the UFC banner. However, back in 2020, Sabatello managed to beat Taylor Moore via unanimous decision during Dana White's Contender Series 2020: Week 9. This is the closest either fighter has come to entering the UFC.
Sabatello was unhappy with not being offered a UFC contract after getting his DWCS win but knew it was a possibility when he failed to beat Moore via stoppage.
Stots has never competed in the Contender Series and has spent most of his professional career in Bellator and LFA.
The duo recently made headlines when getting into a heated argument on The MMA Hour. The interaction was hosted by Ariel Helwani, who had to separate the two fighters before the tension boiled over.
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Watch Helwani break up the fight on The MMA Hour here:
Danny Sabatello and Raufeon Stots will fight for the interim Bellator bantamweight championship in December. It was the presence of the belt that seemingly caused the tension, with Sabatello attempting to grab it multiple times.
'The Italian Gangster' has only fought three times in Bellator, but has risen quickly in the organization after winning all of his bouts. Sabatello has spent most of his career competing under the Titan FC banner, but will get a shot at gold when facing Stots in December.
Danny Sabatello is a very outspoken fighter, but this has often helped him hype-up his upcoming bouts and has once again caused headlines in the MMA world.
Stots was much more relaxed when speaking to Helwani, but it was clear that Sabatello was looking to once again build his name, which seemingly worked given the media hype.
Has Danny Sabatello lost in professional MMA?
Yes, despite currently being scheduled to compete for the interim Bellator bantamweight belt, Danny Sabatello doesn't have a flawless professional MMA record. Sabatello has suffered defeat once in his career to date, losing to Irwin Rivera at Titan FC 58 back in 2019.
Rivera beat 'The Italian Gangster' in the fourth round of their bout, with the Mexican winning via stoppage. The fight was for the Titan FC bantamweight championship and was aired on UFC Fight Pass.
Sabatello's future opponent, Raufeon Stots, has also only lost once in his professional MMA career. Highly rated UFC contender Merab Dvalishvili knocked Stots out in the very first round of their Ring of Combat 59 bout.