Pat Sabatini credits mental game for doing more than just make him a better fighter
LAS VEGAS – Pat Sabatini beat Jonathan Pearce with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 244 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Sabatini, who rebounded from a first-round knockout loss to Diego Lopes.
Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce
Pat Sabatini
Result: Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:06
Updated records: Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), Pearce (14-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC)
Key stats: Sabatini controlled all but 10 seconds of the fight and was one of only two upset winners on the card.
Sabatini on the fight’s key moment
Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce, UFC Fight Night 244 (via UFC)
“I would say I’m happy, but it’s just not cutting it. It’s way, way beyond that. I’m ecstatic. I am thrilled. Right now, it’s just another level of happiness. This is why I do it – this feeling right here. With this sport – and this is the reason why I do this sport – when the actual win is great, but it’s overcoming myself and becoming a better person, better fighter and evolving as a person – and I feel like I took a nice step tonight.”
Sabatini on his personal growth
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Pat Sabatini battles Jonathan Pearce in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“I fell down, and instead of falling down and staying down, I chose to get back up and turn into a better fighter, better person, and it showed tonight. This sport’s so much more mental than physical – it’s crazy. I had to get uncomfortable in order to get to that next level.
“… Working with a sports psychologist – I actually just got off the phone with him; I had to give him a call and be like, ‘Hey, our stuff worked’ – it gives you the tactics and the actual tools to stay present and just put yourself in the best possible position to perform at your best.
“I think ego for a lot of people gets in the way of voicing it, but I’m not ashamed to say I’ve been a prisoner in my own mind. I’ve been the ruler of my own mind. The mind is everything in this game.”
Sabatini on what he wants next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Diego Lopes of Brazil punches Pat Sabatini in a featherweight fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
“I do have two losses in the UFC. I would love to avenge either one of them or both, even if it comes in time. I have no names in particular, no times in particular, but you can best believe I’m going to stay ready. It could be it could be in Australia, it could be here in Vegas, it could be in Bristol, Pa. – doesn’t matter.”
To hear more from Sabatini, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.