For Sam Patterson, UFC Abu Dhabi was about more than getting another win on his record. It was an opportunity to put a frustrating performance behind him, demonstrate the improvements he had made in training and remind the welterweight division of what he is capable of.
I have known and trained with Sam since he first walked through the doors at Team Crossface 12 years ago when he was just 17 years old, already with a few years of training under his belt. I have watched him grow from a young martial artist into a professional fighter competing on the biggest stage in the sport. Now in my late 40s, I am acutely (and painfully) aware that we are at different stages of different journeys, but it's a privilege to share the same mats as Sam and witness his passion for martial arts, as a sport and a lifestyle.
Frustrated with the fight against Michael ‘Venom’ Page in March, but never one to dwell on things that can't be changed, he returned to Team Crossface focused on making improvements from what he learned. The next challenge was an experienced opponent in Argentine Welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio, a fighter who had faced some of the biggest names in the division and no easy assignment.
What followed was a brilliant example of preparation meeting opportunity, with Sam securing a second-round TKO victory. But the work that led to that result started long before he stepped into the Octagon.
The mats at Team Crossface are both a creative space and testing lab, there is a note that reads 'What Have You Improved Since Your Last Fight' at the top of the white board next to the cage. The aim is to always move forwards. This environment is a big part of Sam’s development. Having joined as a teenager, he has spent a huge amount of time learning, training and developing alongside some very experienced martial artists. While sitting contemplating my life choices during a Friday morning sparring session I calculated that a handful of people brought well over 200 years of combined grappling and MMA experience to the room. Sam has taken all this knowledge that is useful to him, applied it to his style and is serving it back in his own way.
For anyone unfamiliar with the gym, Team Crossface is based in Watford and offers a broad range of martial arts disciplines. These include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW), Muay Thai and MMA. The emphasis is on blending different the martial arts rather than looking at them in isolation. Head Coach David Lee, a UFC veteran himself, 4th degree black belt and longtime student of Erik Paulson & Ze Marcello has created an environment that enables athletes to be comfortable wherever the fight takes place. Sam always describes himself as a mixed martial artist, able to seamlessly transition from Jiu-Jitsu to Boxing, Catch Wrestling, Kickboxing and Shoot Wrestling, rather than a single specialist.
I’ve seen Sam develop across all these areas over the years. There is always a willingness to learn (from anybody that has something useful), a competitive edge and, most importantly, the ability to put the work in. He still comes into the gym for the regular classes as well as the 'Pro-Fighter' sessions, how many other sports are there that day-one hobbyists get to train with the world class pros?
People who have never trained themselves often see the final few minutes of a fight in a UFC highlight reel and form their judgement of a fighter from that. What they don’t see is the huge amount of work that happens to get there and Sam is the hardest working person in the room.
Speaking to UFC.com in the lead up to the event, Sam simply explained his approach to the fight:
“Finish him.”
It reflected the mentality of the short camp, Sam accepted the fight on just a few weeks’ notice. When you train regularly, you don’t have to build everything from scratch when an opportunity comes along, just switch the lights on. The rounds became even more focused, with the stable of active fighters we have at the gym and longtime sparring partners Charlie Leary and Martin Hudson. Still working all disciplines of the game, dialling in and ensuring confidence in his toolbox of go-to attacks and transitions (most of which we haven't seen in his UFC fights yet) to make sure all ranges and areas are covered... and then the circuits start. Cardio is different when it's not just your activity to maintain but youv'e also got an opponent actively trying to drain it from you. The circuits are designed to ensure that, before the cage door shuts, you are capable of moving more and lasting longer than the worse case scenario demands. Everyone hates them, but faith in your gas tank is absolute.
By the time fight week arrived, the hard work was done but there was still travel, nutrition, hydration, media commitments and the official weigh-ins to contend with before the ref invites the fighters to engage. I didn't travel to Abu Dhabi, so this is a video shot by David Lee with Sam Patterson narrating the lead up to the Etihad Arena.
It all came together in the Octagon with a TKO victory over a respected UFC veteran. It was a display of just how dangerous the guy from Watford is, demonstrated Sam's ability to finish an experienced opponent and reinforced his ambitions in the UFC welterweight division.
It was also a reminder that setbacks are part of the journey. What matters is how you respond to them.
I’m proud to support Sam, as a training partner and as a brand ambassador. WhiskyWolf is built around creativity, tenacity and diversity, qualities Sam brings to the training mat and fight night in abundance.
His journey from joining Team Crossface as a youngster to competing and winning in the UFC is a great example of what can be achieved through commitment, consistency and hard work. And the work is not over.
