Athletes
Sam Patterson Said Yes When Others Said No
English Welterweight Is On A Tear, And Gets Big-Name Opposition In The Form Of UK MMA Icon – And Former Training Partner – Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
Sam Patterson is happy to step in where others seemingly fear to tread.
England’s Patterson received the call for his upcoming assignment at The O2 Arena, and he was surprised to see that his opponent was the man who he’d help prep for his prior fights – Michael “Venom” Page.
Training partners typically prefer not to have to face each other unless there’s a belt on the line, and while Patterson admitted his surprise at the matchup, it didn’t take long for him to process it and lock in on the task at hand.
Full London Fight Card Preview
“It was a shock, obviously, both being quite local to each other,” he told UFC.com this week. “But yeah, once that's settled, you realize the challenge you've got ahead of you, and yeah, I'm buzzing.
“This the first time I've ever had to do that – fight someone I've trained with. But I don't think I struggle with that side of things. Once I'm in there, I'm a different person completely to who I am all fight week, to who I am in my normal life. I'm a different person when I step inside that cage, so it doesn't really matter who's across from me. Winning is all I care about.”
Sam Patterson Earns Statement TKO Victory Against Trey Waters | UFC Paris
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Sam Patterson Earns Statement TKO Victory Against Trey Waters | UFC Paris
/
The step up in opposition was certainly due. Since moving from lightweight to welterweight, Patterson won four in a row all via first-round finish, and he’s happy the UFC’s matchmakers have rewarded his progress with a big-name matchup.
Having spent time sparring rounds with Page, Patterson has a decent read on “MVP’s” fighting style and said that his own MMA game will fare well against him this weekend.
ICYMI: Dana White Announces Every Main Event Until The White House Card
“Obviously, I've been a fan of ‘MVP,’ being from the UK, watching his style, watching him entertain. He is very entertaining,” he said. “But when you have to sit and break him down as an opponent, I do believe my style as a complete mixed martial artist will match up very well against him. That doesn't take nothing away from him. He is very dangerous. He's very good at doing, what he does. But, yeah, I believe my me being a complete martial artist will get the job done.”
One of the key issues fighters have faced when sharing the cage with Page over the years is that they tend to freeze when faced with his style. As someone who’s watched Page’s fights closely, as well as spending time sparring with him in person, Patterson knows exactly what freezes up fighters in front of MVP and said that won’t happen to him on Saturday night.
“Yeah, I think when you watch his previous fights, I think the biggest factor is people are shocked at how fast he is,” he explained. “I’ve trained with Michael. I know how fast he is. I know how dangerous he is, so will not be a shock to me. Yes, when he starts the antics and stuff like that – just being me, I'm pretty calm and composed in there. I don't get too riled up, even when I go out there and finish my opponent. I'm not the kind of guy that loses control of myself, so I don't see it being any different. If he starts upping the antics, I will stay true to my plan, true to the game plan, and get the job done.”
Patterson’s return to The O2 will see him revisit the venue of his UFC debut, which ended in a crushing knockout defeat to Yanal Ashmouz. Back then, Patterson was competing at 155 pounds, and that loss prompted him to take stock and make the decision to move up to 170 pounds. To say it’s been a gamechanger would be a massive understatement.
Watch This And Every UFC Event Live On Paramount+
“I think it actually saved my life, not my career,” he admitted. “If I would have continued to make lightweight, I think it would have had bad effects on my body, and going up to welterweight was the best decision I ever made.
“Sometimes you need something to go wrong to change it. If I would have carried on winning lightweight, who knows, I could have been sat here today, still a lightweight, killing myself. So yeah, it didn't just save my career, it saved my life. And yeah, I'm more of an athlete now than I ever was a lightweight, that's for sure.”
Now in what he considers his optimal weight class, Patterson is back at The O2 with the chance to replace those bad London memories with a victory over one of London’s most celebrated fighters.
“That's exactly what it is – setting things right, giving the fans what they actually deserve from me,” he said. “You can look at this as redemption. I didn't give the fans what they deserved. I did fight in Manchester, obviously, not at the same arena, but coming back to the UK and actually showing what I'm capable of, definitely got it back for me.
View Patterson's Athlete Profile
“But going back to The O2, where obviously it didn't go my way, and righting that wrong, giving the fans what they deserve, it's motivating.”
Patterson plans on using his first-person knowledge of Page to find a route to victory on Saturday night although he did say that training with someone is very different to actually fighting them at full throttle in the Octagon.
“I don't know how others train (but) I look after everyone I train with,” Patterson said. “I'm not that guy – I'm not an asshole that's trying to kill everyone I train with, but I am, when I'm in a fight, I am trying to take your head off. I'm trying to break you. And I think I will get that respect early once he realizes I'm not taking it easy.”
Victory for Patterson would certainly make the rest of the welterweight division sit up and take notice, and not just for the big-name scalp he could potentially add to his resumé. It’s also because it would be against a fighter that nobody else seemingly wants to test themselves against.
“I think (a win over Page) puts everyone on notice,” said Patterson. “I think MVP has a style that a lot of world wants to say no to, and I think that's embarrassing, to be honest… I’m not that guy. I won't say no. I like the challenge. I like to challenge myself. And I'm pretty sure that's why we all got into this game as mixed martial artists. You wanted to see if your style was better than someone else's style.
“So to be sat there saying no to a person because you think they're a bad matchup – f*** you. I'm out there trying to win and trying to show I am that guy. So, Saturday night, I think I put everyone on notice.”
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy took place live from The O2 in London, England On March 21, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags