{"id":828854,"date":"2026-07-27T08:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/828854\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:48:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:48:10","slug":"sam-patterson-eyes-medic-rodriguez-winner-after-ufc-abu-dhabi-tko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/828854\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Patterson eyes Medic-Rodriguez winner after UFC Abu Dhabi TKO"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 26, 2026, 6:50 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

Sam Patterson met the media Saturday after his win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC\u00a0Fight Night 282.<\/p>\n

Patterson (15-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) got some early tests from longtime welterweight Ponzinibbio (30-10 MMA, 12-9 UFC) on the prelims at\u00a0Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. But ultimately, he took over toward the end of the first and put him away with a TKO in the second.<\/p>\n

The Brit said the opportunity to fight someone who\u2019s been around as long as Ponzinibbio has was the reason he signed up to be the Brazilian\u2019s 40th fight \u2013\u00a0and why he had to leave with a stoppage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pride myself on finishes,\u201d Patterson told the UFC after the fight. \u201cI\u2019m a winner, and I\u2019m a finisher, so it\u2019s good to be back. I took the fight on short notice because of the name value \u2013\u00a0because of who he was. He\u2019s been fighting in the UFC for as long as I\u2019ve been fighting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 I\u2019m a fan, and at the end of the day, as well. I\u2019ve watched him fight. To be in there against him \u2013\u00a0nothing but respect. But when I step in the cage, that all goes out the window. It has to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now Patterson wants to pay close attention to this week\u2019s UFC show in Belgrade, Serbia. That card is headlined by a 170-pound scrap between Uros Medic (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Daniel Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), and he likes the way the crystal ball looks for him to fight the winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy aim was to be in the top 15 by the end of the year,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cI want to challenge myself. I want to be the best in the world, so up is the only way I want to go. \u2026 It\u2019s a good timeline. I fought this week. They\u2019ll fight (Saturday). (The UFC will be at) T-Mobile (Arena in Las Vegas) at the end of the year. Let\u2019s put it on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check out Patterson’s post-fight interview in the video above.<\/p>\n

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