Pat Sabatini got past the first major adversity of his UFC career, and now he’s looking ahead to a brighter future.
After suffering his first octagon loss in a 69-second TKO upset to Damon Jackson in July 2022, Sabatini came back stronger than ever this month when he finished Lucas Almeida with a fierce second-round submission at UFC on ESPN 46 in Las Vegas.
With five UFC fights under his belt and an 80 percent winning rate, Sabatini is keen to stack more victories on his record and climb the ranks, To do that, he knows staying active is essential.
“I’m definitely open to that idea of taking a fight on the quicker side,” Sabatini told MMA Junkie Radio. “I do have a few bumps and bruises, but other than that, no serious damage. Definitely healthy. I want a number next to my name at some point in the not-so-distance future. The only way to get there is to keep the ball rolling, keep winning and keep making statements.”
Sabatini, 32, is reluctant to call out any specific names in the UFC featherweight division. He hasn’t done so to this point in his career, and said he’s enjoyed the different range of tests the matchmakers have thrown his way.
His approach might change in the future, but for now, Sabatini is satisfied with being hands-off.
“I’m going to have to go through and see which ranked opponents make sense,” Sabatini said. “But I might just keep rolling with the flow of seeing who the UF throws at me. At the end of the day I want to just keep winning. I think there’s still a lot of room for growth at my end, and I think when the time is right, I’ll be really breaking through those rankings.”
