Massive English lightweight Sam Patterson took on SBG Ireland product Keifer Crosbie at UFC 304, part of the night’s early preliminary action.
Standing at 6’3″, Sam is one of the tallest lightweights in the history of the division, standing four inches taller and with eight inches of reach on his opponent, Crosbie, who lost his UFC debut on short notice last year. In this battle of England vs Ireland, the Walford man came out on top with a dominant win in front of a home crowd in Manchester.
The pair started out with a feeling out process on the feet from range. Crosbie walked forward aggressively and after the first minute they both let their hands go. However, Patterson absorbed a groin strike which paused the momentum, but they got right back to battle. Patterson landed a big right uppercut to Crosbie and began to look quite fluid on the feet, so Keifer clinched up. Unfortunately doe him, Sam reversed it and got a takedown right into full mount. He instant began to set up an arm triangle choke and Crosbie had little defense. He stepped off to try to finish it, stepped back into mount to lock it tighter, and then stepped off again, forcing the Irishman to tap.
With a blazing quick win in his third UFC fight, Sam Patterson seems to be a bright prospect if he can avoid hanging his chin in the air overconfidently, which cost him in his first UFC fight. At 28 years old, the time is now for him to put it all together and enter his prime.
Official Result: Sam Patterson def. Keifer Crosbie by Submission (arm-triangle choke) Round 1, 2:50
