Danny Sabatello is not afraid to speak his mind, and that was once again the case at last week’s Bellator 282 event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Sabatello defeated Leandro Higo by unanimous decision in the co-main event of the night — which was also the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal. After the match, “The Italian Gangster” Sabatello spoke to “Big” John McCarthy for the post-fight interview and let out an expletive-ridden rant that made George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” bit seem tame.
Check it out:
Danny Sabatello! Classic as usual in the post fight interview đđđ#Bellator282 pic.twitter.com/IqqfYmTsHi
— 5 City (@5city_) June 25, 2022
Unfortunately for Sabatello, his paycheck was docked because of the language in the post-fight interview which was part of the event’s broadcast on Showtime. Sabatello was fined $5,000 for what was labeled as “abusive language” by the athletic commission.
The Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR) told Steven Marrocco of MMA Fighting that Sabatello broke Rule 21 of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The rule reads:
âThe use of abusive language is not allowed during MMA competition. It is the sole responsibility of the referee to determine when language crosses over the line to abusive. It should be clear that fighters can talk during a match. The mere use of auditory language is not a violation of this rule. Examples of abusive language would be (racially motivated or derogatory language).â
But that’s not going to stop Sabatello from letting the curse words fly.
After finding out about his suspension during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Sabatello once again had a colorful response.
âYeah, thatâs fâking bullsât,â Sabatello said, as transcribed by Bloody Elbow. âThatâs such fâking bullsât. But you know what, I donât care. If I fight there again, Iâm telling you right now, Iâm going to do the same sât. You can keep fâking fining me. Nothing is going to deter me from being myself, and also, it wouldnât do justice to the fans. I want the fans to understand exactly who theyâre dealing with. Thatâs who I am. Thatâs my personality. Fine me. Who gives a fâk? Itâs just money anyways.â
You have to respect a guy who isn’t going to change for the commission. And let’s be honest, do his words really hurt anyone? No. What it does do is bring more attention to Sabatello as we wait for his next trip to the cage — and his next time on the mic.
