Athletes
Sam Patterson Knows He Belongs At The Top
English Welterweight Arrives In Abu Dhabi Determined To Bounce Back To His Fight-Finishing Ways.
Sam Patterson is back and ready to get straight back to winning ways after a frustrating outing last time out. Patterson’s most recent UFC appearance saw him face compatriot and occasional training partner Michael “Venom” Page in a bout that never really caught fire. It left Patterson feeling a little frustrated on the night, but looking back at it, the Englishman said it proved to him that he belongs among the division’s best.
“[It proved] That I am that level,” he stated. “I wasn't outclassed in there, and as much as it was a boring fight, and neither of us did anything, I didn't feel outclassed, and it kind of cemented that I am that level. Now it's just about making a few adjustments [so] that I go out there and finish at that level.”
Patterson has since gone back to the gym to sharpen his skills ahead of his Octagon return, which takes place Saturday night at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. He’ll take on divisional staple Santiago Ponzinibbio, who possesses a wealth of experience in the UFC’s 170-pound division. But Patterson is confident that he has the tools to get the job done.
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“Yeah [I’m] fighting a veteran, he has got serious amounts of experience, and again, I’m up for challenging myself,” he said. “I've never picked a fight, and I'm not going to start now. I believe I'm on the ascent, and he's towards the end of his career. That's just a fact.
“But yeah, [the fight has] got its challenges. He's fought everybody, so [if] I go out there and finish him, I add that to my resumé.”
According to Patterson, Ponzinibbio’s biggest weapon will be his experience. But he explained that all that time spent in the Octagon also has its downsides, too, and he plans on exposing them on Saturday night.
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“He does what he does in there, and he looks comfortable in there, because he's done it so many times. I can only imagine,” he said. “My first ever amateur fight was the same [time] he got signed by the UFC, so he's been fighting a lot of high-level guys for a long period of time, and his experience is key. But that will also be his downfall, because he's also taken a lot of damage for that period of time, fighting for that long… So yeah, it's on me to go out there and get the job done, and I'm looking forward to it.”
The fight also offers Patterson the chance to return to the fighting style that had many people high on his potential in the 170-pound division. His bout with Page was such a departure from Patterson’s past performances that he said that he wouldn’t have been happy, even if he’d earned the victory on the scorecards that night.
“Even if my hand was raised that night, I would have went back to the gym p***** off because that's not how I want to win,” he said. “I'd never been in a boring fight in my life. That was the first time, so it was kind of quite a sour taste in my mouth… But, like I said. I didn't feel like I lost the fight. I don't feel like I won the fight either. I think none of us won that night, and should not have won that night, so it shouldn't be a loss on my record.
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“But, even if I would have won that night, I would have been back in the gym, p*****, because I do not want to perform like that for the fans and for myself. I hold myself to a high standard and finishing people – that's a win to me when you finish someone. If a judge has to say that I beat you, I don't class that as a win.”
Sam Patterson: 'A Win To Me Is When You Finish Someone' | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Sam Patterson: 'A Win To Me Is When You Finish Someone' | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Patterson is determined to bounce straight back to the fight finishing form we saw before the Page fight, when he finished four consecutive opponents in the first round. And as he prepares to face Ponzinibbio on Saturday night, Patterson said there’s one clear way for him to bounce back from the disappointment of his last outing.
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“Finish him,” he said. “I think I go out there again. I do what I do. I think everyone's very ‘what have you done lately?’ So everyone looked at my last fight, but if you look before that fight, I finished the last four in the first round. So Saturday night, we'll see if I can get that first round again.
“I think [a win] puts me back on track, exactly where I was. Especially if I go out and finish Ponzinibbio. I think that puts me exactly back to where I want to be, top 15 in the world. So it's on me to go out there Saturday night, finish Ponzinibbio, and then we're back on that train to the top.”
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Guskov took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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