Exclusive/ “The Future” Sam Patterson Eyes Top 15 Breakthrough; Welterweight Striker Ready to Unleash Himself Against Michael Page at UFC Fight Night

Welterweight MMA fighter Sam Patterson enters UFC Fight Night fueled with confidence. The striker is scheduled to face Michael Page, one of the UK's finest fighters, in London, England. ‘The Future’ has declared himself mentally and physically at his peak. 

Ahead of the scheduled welterweight fight, Sam Patterson has expressed his thoughts. The MMA fighter respects Michael Page’s unique striking but insists he’s ready to showcase his complete MMA arsenal.

Patterson emphasised that his camp focused on building the “complete package,” preparing for Page’s switch‑stance style while sharpening every aspect of his game.

Republic World sat down for an exclusive interview with UFC Welterweight fighter Sam Patterson ahead of his scheduled fight against veteran Michael Page inside The O₂ Arena in London, England.

With four consecutive first‑round finishes behind him, Patterson sees this bout as his breakthrough moment into the welterweight top 15 and a step closer to a world title. The UFC Welterweight fighter thrives under pressure and promises to rise to the occasion under the spotlight.

Also Read: UFC 326: Charles Oliveira Defeats Max Holloway to Capture BMF Crown Nearly 11 Years After Debut Fight

The following are the excerpts from the interview:

Q1: How are you feeling mentally and physically heading into this fight compared to your last performance?

I'm feeling great. I always say every fight camp is the best version of myself, and I've done everything I could. So, that's where my confidence comes from and going into fight week, I'm mentally and physically prepared for Saturday night.

Q2: What stands out to you most about your opponent’s style, and how have you prepared to counter it?

It's Michael Page. He's one of the best to come out of the UK. He does what he does very well. And to counter it, obviously, I'm going to go in there and do what I do. I believe I'm a complete mixed martial artist. And come Saturday, I get to show my whole skill set.

Q3: Was there a particular focus in this camp, like striking, grappling, conditioning, that you believe will make the biggest difference on fight night?

To be honest, I think it's the complete package. Obviously, Michael's a great striker, but he fights from both stances. So, I was actually able to work with people in both stances, different kinds of strikers. He's very unique in what he does. So, it's very hard to find someone exactly like him. But that just means I get to focus on myself a lot more. Complete my whole arsenal. Make my whole game across the board great. And I believe I've done that.

Q4: You’ve been steadily climbing the ranks. Do you see this fight as a turning point toward breaking into the top tier of the welterweight division?

This is definitely a step up and breaks me into the top 15, which everyone wants. Everyone wants progression. Everyone wants to get to a world title. And it's a big step up, to be honest. If you're talking about where I was to where I'm going to be, it's a big step up.

But I'm ready for it. And my last four performances have shown that. I finished everyone in the first round. So, it's only right that I get a big step up in competition. And come Saturday night or early next week, being top 15 in the world, again, it'll be a next step up after that as well. So, yeah, I'm focused on progression and going forward to a world title. And this is just the next step.

Q5: UFC Fight Night brings a unique spotlight. Do you thrive under that pressure, or do you try to block it out completely?

No, I don't block it out. I've been doing this a long time now. My whole career, my whole life, I've been fighting. And the stage has always been big. It gets bigger and bigger every single time. I don't think blocking out is the right thing.

I think I thrive under pressure. The more pressure, I think I rise to the occasion. And to me, regardless of how many people are there, I am so focused on the fight. I'm walking there. It doesn't matter if I was in a car park or in a cage in front of 20,000. I'm going in there to fight, and that's all I focus on.

Q6: If everything goes your way on fight night, what’s the next step you’d like to take in your UFC journey?

One step closer to the world title. So, if I break into the top 15, then I only want the 14 people in front of me, minus one. But literally, anyone that's in front of me, I would like to get close to the world title. So, that's the goal. That's the aim. It always has been. So, yeah, anything that gets me one step closer to that world title.

Also Read: Sangram Singh's Opponent Withdraws His Name From Fight, New Challenger Announced

Expect major fireworks as Sam Patterson vows to unleash his full skill set against one of the UK’s finest strikers, Michael Page, with his eyes firmly set on the top tier of the division.

TUNE IN: Watch UFC Fight Night - Evloev vs Murphy on 22nd March, 2026, from 1:30 AM IST live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil & Telugu).