After being “disrespected” by Dana White, Danny Sabatello expects to “maul” Brett Johns and “make him quit”

Danny Sabatello thought he was for sure going to get a UFC contract after his dominant performance over Taylor Moore on the Contender Series in November.

Sabatello landed three of four takedowns and had 14:06 of ground control and won the fight 30-24, 30-25, 30-26. It was a dominant performance and for the now 28-year-old he thought he was a shoo-in for the contract.

“I was pretty shocked I didn’t get the contract. I had a 30-24 scorecard. I’m not sure that’s ever happened on the show, it rarely happens in the UFC. Dana White has his image of how he wants the fights to go out and it is what it is,” Sabatello said to BJPENN.com on Monday. “I dominated my opponent, beat the s**t out of him for three rounds. Sometimes when you dominate someone it is boring because it’s one-sided. The fact that the matter is, I was so much better and I felt I deserved the contract. After what he said, I felt disrespected and I don’t want to work for a promotion that is going to disrespect me like that. Hopefully, it is for the better, and I’m happy to be in Bellator.”

After not getting the contract, Sabatello ended up defending his Titan FC bantamweight title in February against Bellator veteran, Da’Mon Blackshear. The goal was to get signed by Bellator and got his wish as he will step up on short notice to battle Brett Johns on Friday night at Bellator 259.

“It was last Thursday, my manager, Jason House called me and asked if I wanted this fight,” Sabatello explained. “I was like f**k yeah, I’m going to take it. We kind of figured something was going to come up in Bellator. I told him I wanted to be in Bellator. I’m just lucky and fortunate I have this opportunity to steal Brett John’s thunder.”

Image Credit: Danny Sabatello’s Instagram

Against Johns, Sabatello believes he is better everywhere than the UFC veteran. He knows he’s the better grappler and will be able to outwrestle Johns and eventually break him in the second round and get a TKO finish.

“To be honest, I don’t think Brett Johns is very good. I know he’s on the win streak and only lost to Pedro Munhoz and Aljamain Sterling. I’m excited because I’m a better fighter everywhere than him,” Sabatello said. “I do think I can piece him on the feet. He will take a bad shot and I’ll stuff it and he will then get wild on the feet. After that, I’ll take him down, and in the second round and beat the s**t out of him and get the TKO win. I do think I finish him in the second via TKO and maul him. I will break him, I’m going to break his will and make him quit. “I’m going to steal his thunder on Friday.”

If Danny Sabatello does get the stoppage win over Brett Johns, he knows it would be the biggest win of his career. It would also likely earn him a top-five opponent next time out. He’s also confident he can beat anyone in the bantamweight division and will be the champ within the next year or two.

“I’m pumped for this fight. I know when I win I will be high up in the promotion and start fighting the top guys,” Sabatello concluded. “After I beat him, Bellator will realize I’m elite. When I look at the bantamweight division, I don’t see anyone who is a threat to me. Like Sergio Pettis is the champ, like good luck I will f**k that guy up. I will kill that guy.”

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