Bellator’s Hawaii doubleheader will now feature Danny Sabatello vs. Marcos Breno.
Danny Sabatello is poised to return for the first bout since coming up short in his effort to win the Bellator bantamweight grand prix.
Officials from the promotion unveiled the new bout schedules on Tuesday for Bellator’s return to Hawaii in April. On April 21 and April 22, the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu will play host to Bellator 294 and Bellator 295, respectively.
Sabatello started his amateur career in 2014 and won his first four fights via TKO or submission. He then went pro in 2016 and won his debut fight via unanimous decision against fellow American Nick Horton. Sabatello fought exclusively for the Titan Fighting Championship for his first four professional bouts, winning all four of them by unanimous decision.
In 2019, Sabatello signed with the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) and won his debut fight against Mexican fighter Vincent Cachero via unanimous decision. Sabatello went on to win his next three fights in the LFA, including a TKO win against Caio Machado in December 2020, which earned him the promotion’s bantamweight title.
Sabatello was then signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in January 2021. He made his UFC debut on March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Brunson vs. Holland, where he faced fellow American fighter Mark Castellano. Sabatello won the fight via unanimous decision, earning his first victory in the UFC.
Sabatello’s second fight in the UFC was on October 9, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez, where he faced fellow bantamweight fighter Aaron Phillips. Sabatello won the fight via unanimous decision, improving his UFC record to 2-0.
Brett Johns faced Danny Sabatello as a replacement for Matheus Mattos on May 21, 2021, at Bellator 259. Sabatello won the bout with a unanimous decision.
In anticipation of facing Johnny Campbell on August 13, 2021, at Bellator 264, Sabatello tested positive for COVID-19, and the fight was called off during fight week due to health and safety protocols.
With two fighters pulling out of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix because of injuries, a wild card bout between Sabatello and Jornel Lugo was announced for April 22, 2022, at Bellator 278. Sabatello emerged victorious with a dominant unanimous decision, leading him to sign a new long-term deal with the promotion.
On June 24, 2022, Sabatello fought Leandro Higo in the quarter-finals of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix at Bellator 282, winning the fight with a unanimous decision. However, Sabatello was fined $5,000 by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation for using abusive language in his post-fight speech.
In the main event at Bellator 289 on December 9, 2022, Sabatello faced Raufeon Stots in the semi-finals of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix, but he lost the fight via split decision
Bellator 294’s other cards include-
Levan Chokheli and Michael Lombardo’s welterweight fight on the main card and a number of preliminary fights, such as Tyrell Fortune vs. Sergei Bilostennyi, Alex Polizzi vs. Karl Moore, Killys Mota vs. Kenneth Cross, Cris Lencioni vs. Blake Smith, and Anthony Adams vs. Sharaf Davlatmurodov, have also been added to the Friday event.
Ilara Joanne vs. Bruna Ellen and Alexey Shurkevich vs. Masayuki Kikuiri are two other fights scheduled for the Saturday Bellator 295 event.
Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett for the flyweight title will be the main event of Bellator 294, while Patchy Mix vs. Raufeon Stots for the interim bantamweight title will decide who will win the divisional grand prix.
