Former CFFC champ Pat Sabatini faced off against William Gomis of France in featherweight action at UFC 328 in Newark, NJ on Saturday.
Sabatini was riding high on a three-fight win streak, while Gomis was coming off a victory over Robert Ruchala, a former KSW champ.
The first round started off well for Sabatini who forced the fight to the fence with a takedown attempt. For a large portion of the round Sabatini would hold Gomis against the fence while working for a takedown. With ten seconds left in the round Sabatini would drag Gomis to the floor and grind out an early lead in the fight.
Gomis pressured to start the second round seeming restless to land something significant. Sabatini was able to duck under a straight left hand from Gomis, again pushing him up to the fence. A big slam takedown near the four minute mark, saw Sabatini toss Gomis on his head. Quickly working back to his feet, Gomis needed to find separation and eventually worked his way away from the cage. Gomis circled away while throwing crisp straight punches that were his best moments of the fight so far. Getting inside, Sabatini worked the fight into the clinch again pushing Gomis to the cage. After ten minutes Sabatini was likely up two rounds.
The final frame saw Gomis pressure Sabatini while defending a takedown early. Gomis would do some good work on the feet for the next minute, but gave up position in the clinch and the fight again was pressed to the fence. A very uneventful fight ended with Sabatini racking up control time. The judges would score the fight for Sabatini unanimously. The fourth win in a row for Sabatini should earn him ranked competition in his next contest.
Official Result: Pat Sabatini def. William Gomis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
