As excited as people are for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, don’t forget that Bellator still has loads of great battles for people to enjoy. That’s right, they’ve got a ton of brilliant showings, which will again be the case this weekend. In this piece, we have our Bellator 289 picks for Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello, which will be one of many great fights. Who will come out on top?
• Bellator 289 Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello main event
• Friday December 9th at 9ET
• Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
As you might have been able to guess, Stots is the favorite to win at Bellator 289, as he’s entering this main event with a ton of confidence. While he may not receive the same kind of recognition as fighters in the UFC, you really can’t sleep on his talents. The same can also be said about Sabatello, as he’s always a threat to record an impressive showing when he puts the gloves on.
With Stots, he’s entering this matchup with a record of 18-1-0. Meanwhile, for Sabatello, he’s also been quite impressive, as he’s 13-1-0. Both fighters only have one loss on their resumes, and they’ll be ready to do whatever is needed to prevent loss No. 2 from going on their record. The two brawlers have a ton of confidence leading up to Friday’s primetime showdown.
| Bellator 289 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stots to win | -145 | -145 | -145 |
| Sabatello to win | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Velasquez to win | -165 | -165 | -165 |
| Carmouche to win | +140 | +140 | +140 |
“I see straight fear in him,” Sabatello said in a recent interview. “Ever since my last fight against Leandro Higo, once that was done, they brought Raufeon into the cage, and I had my middle finger in his face for about five seconds before he did anything. I think he was stunned from there on out, and every time I go with him and I see him face-to-face, and he’s right next to me, he always has so much nervous energy.”
As you can see from that quote from Sabatello, he thinks he’ll be able to cruise to a win. That’s interesting. Per the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Stots holds -145 Las Vegas betting odds to come away with a win. Meanwhile, for Sabatello, he’s been set at +125. We think an upset is coming, so we’re rocking with Sabatello as our pick to be the victor in this case.
In another big-time meeting, Juliana Velasquez hopes to make a statement at Bellator 289 when she goes up against Liz Carmouche. This is a matchup that Bellator fans have also been eyeing, as these two are also electric with the gloves on, and they’ll want to remind folks of how great they are when in action. This isn’t expected to be a quick fight, either.
With Velasquez, she will enter this one with her record of 12-1-0. As for Carmouche, shes’ 17-7-0 in her MMA career. Velasquez has only lost once in her career and she’s hungrier than ever to capture win No. 13. Carmouche would love nothing more than to take her opponent down, but that’s sure to be easier said than done. Who will be able to have their arm raised?
“It’s personal,” Carmouche said of her upcoming fight on Friday night vs. Velasquez. “What should’ve been this wonderful moment that I was working toward for so many years, it kind of lost some of its lusters because of the claims and because of her demeanor, behavior, and how she carried herself after the fight.”
This is a rematch for the two, as Carmouche was able to win via TKO in the first matchup. Now with the title on the line again, these women will do everything possible to have the belt wrapped around their waste. Carmouche holds +140 odds, and Velasquez is -165. We think Velasquez will get some revenge – she’s our pick. Agree? Check out our betting sites, which include the BetOnline sportsbook, to get a wager in.
Lastly, we think Dalton Rosta will cruise to a win over Anthony Adams at Bellator 289 on Friday night. Rosta is a freak of nature and his power is always going to turn your head. At this point, we think Adams will be lucky to avoid getting knocked out early on. Rosta will have that kind of an outcome on his mind, as he’ll also want to make a statement.
Per the oddsmakers, Rosta has a mind-blowing -900 odds to record a win. Adams needs more than a miracle to pull off a stunner. Rosta. We don’t think that will happen, as we’re 100 percent going with Rosta as our pick to win this contest. Rosta is too good, and he’ll be a smart fighter again in his fight with Adams. You can count on that.
