Former Bellator bantamweight contender Danny Sabatello will return to Japan on Sept. 28 for his second struggle contained in the RIZIN ring, the promotion introduced. “The Italian Gangster” will face 56-fight veteran Shoko Sato as a part of the RIZIN 51 card in Nagoya.
Sabatello (15-4-1) made his RIZIN debut in Could after a sole look underneath the PFL banner, stopping Shinobu Ota through third-round knockout to snap a three-fight winless skid. That was his first victory since a 2023 end over Marcos Breno in Bellator, which was adopted by back-to-back Magomed Magomedov and Raufeon Stots plus a majority draw with Lazaro Dayron.
Sato (37-16-2, 1 no-contest) is a former Shooto champion that has competed for many of the Asian MMA promotions over the previous 17 years, together with Pancrase, Sengoku, Highway FC, Vale Tudo Japan and ONE Championship. He’s 3-1 in RIZIN, shedding solely to future champion Naoki Inoue.
RIZIN 51 can be headlined by featherweight champion Razhabali Shaidulloev in his first title protection reverse Viktor Kolesnik, and in addition characteristic the semifinals of the flyweight grand prix. The pairings are but to be confirmed for Hiromasa Ougikubo, Yuki Ito, Alibek Gadzhammatov, Yuki Motoya, Makoto Shinryu and an alternate fighter.
Test the up to date lineup under.
- Razhabali Shaidulloev vs. Viktor Kolesnik
- Shoko Sato vs. Danny Sabatello
- Ryo Takagi vs. Kisa Miyake
- Tetsuya Yamato vs. Takahiro Okuyama
- Genji Umeno vs. Ryusei Ashizawa)
- Daichi Tomizawa vs. Joe Hiramoto
