Trent Reinsmith
- What: Bellator 289
- Date: Friday, December 9, 2022
- Location: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Showtime
Bellator is at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, December 9, for the Bellator 289 fight card. In the main event, interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots faces Danny Sabatello in the semi-final round of the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix. Before that 135-pound scrap goes down women’s flyweight champion Liz Carmouche faces the woman she took the belt from, Juliana Velasquez in a rematch of their April matchup, which Carmouche won via fourth-round TKO. Here is some background on the card’s headlining fighters before we discuss the Bellator 289 betting breakdown.
With Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis out of that weight division’s grand prix because of injury, the promotion went with an interim title fight in the opening round of the tournament. Stots claimed that title with a third-round knockout of Juan Archuleta. Stots is 18-1 and riding a 10-fight winning streak. Sabatello is 13-1 during his career. The former Titan FC bantamweight champ is unbeaten in his past seven outings and coming off a decision win over Leanardo Higo in the quarter-final round of the bantamweight grand prix.
Before we look at the best bets for the Bellator 289 title fights, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights
Bellator 289 picks: Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello
| Fighters |  |
| Danny Sabatello | +130 |
| Raufeon Stots | -160 |
Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello breakdown and analysis
Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello is a wrestler vs. wrestler matchup. Stots was a two-time Division II NCAA champion during his college years, while Sabatello was a three-time Division I qualifier.
Stots, who is 6-0 in Bellator, got his first knockout win with the promotion in his most recent fight. Outside of that victory, he has four wins with Bellator via decision and one by way of submission. Meanwhile, Sabatello is 3-0 with Bellator. All of his victories with the promotion have been by decision.
The interim champ will look to use his takedown defense to keep the fight off the mat. If he succeeds on that front, he needs to make Sabatello uncomfortable via pressure and keep him fighting off his back foot. As for Sabatello. his best option is to get the fight to the mat and keep it there. With this being a five-round fight, that is going to be a difficult thing for him to achieve over 25 minutes.
Bellator 289 betting pick: Raufeon Stots to beat Danny Sabatello via decision.
Who has the edge?
Stots is well-rounded. He is a good wrestler with strong takedown defense and he uses his speed to move in and out of range with ease. The interim champ fights with a great deal of pressure and is comfortable on his feet or on the mat. As for Sabatello, he does not have the comfort on his feet of his opponent, but he is a very good wrestler. That wrestling base helps him get the fight to the ground and impose his will on the mat. However, he does not do a lot of damage while the fight is on the ground. Instead, he tends to put control above damage.
Stots has the overall edge in this Bellator 289 bantamweight matchup.
Our pick
This fight will come down to who can impose their will. With each round starting on the feet and Stots having good takedown defense, decent jiu-jitsu and superior striking, he is the favorite to win this fight. The betting pick for the Bellator 289 main event is a Stots win and the method of victory is via decision. With that, the best prop bets to make on this contest is the fight to go more than 2.5 rounds or for it to go to the scorecards.
Best Bellator 289 main event betting picks: Raufeon Stots to beat Danny Sabatello via decision.
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