00:00 He's good on the ground, he's good in the feet, but so am I.
00:03 And I think Saturday I'm gonna, you know, take it to him.
00:06 I'm gonna get that win.
00:07 - UFC 295 is Saturday, November 11th
00:11 from Madison Square Garden and on ESPN plus pay-per-view.
00:14 I'm Robert Lundberg joined by one of the competitors
00:17 on that card, Pat Sabatini right now.
00:19 And Pat, you're fighting Diego Lopez, an up and comer.
00:22 You have a good record right now.
00:24 What makes him dangerous to put a blemish on that?
00:28 - You know, at this level, every fight's tough.
00:31 He's good on the ground, he's good in the feet,
00:33 but so am I.
00:34 And I think Saturday I'm gonna, you know, take it to him.
00:37 I'm gonna get that win.
00:38 - What do you think a win would do
00:41 for your standing in the featherweight division?
00:43 - I think a win would put me a lot closer
00:46 to getting a number next to my name
00:48 or potentially fighting a ranked opponent in the future.
00:51 So that's the mission.
00:52 - And, you know, you kind of, is that on your vision board?
00:57 Is that something you like play in your head,
00:59 your name on the marquee?
01:01 - Absolutely.
01:03 You know, I said it after my last fight
01:05 that sometime within the next year, you know,
01:07 I wanna have a number next to my name and this is the way.
01:12 - There you go.
01:14 Oh, it was a little Mandalorian reference there
01:17 whether you know it or not.
01:19 - I'm glad you picked that up.
01:21 - Now the marquee will have,
01:23 was supposed to have Jones and Stipe on it.
01:26 Instead, it's gonna be Pavlovich Aspinall
01:28 for the interim heavyweight title.
01:30 There's been some criticism about that saying
01:32 it's diluting the belt a little bit.
01:34 Is that a legit title fight in your eyes?
01:36 - Oh, I think so.
01:38 You know, I think all the fights on this card
01:41 are absolutely amazing, amazing card.
01:44 It wouldn't be really cool to fight
01:45 in the same card as Jones, but hopefully in the future.
01:49 - What about the other co-main event in that fight
01:52 with Piera moving up a weight class?
01:54 You know, you got two violent strikers stylistically.
01:57 How do you like that matchup?
01:58 - I love the matchup.
02:00 I think they're both, you know, absolute warriors.
02:04 They're both super dangerous and both very interesting.
02:07 I feel like they both bring their own charisma
02:09 and their own individuality.
02:12 And I think that's what the sport's all about.
02:14 You know, it's just being an individual
02:15 showing who you are to the world.
02:17 - Now, Francis Ngannou, a former combatant,
02:21 I guess in the sport.
02:22 I don't know if he'll be back there.
02:23 Did show the world what he's about.
02:25 How impressed were you with him
02:26 and how he did against Tyson Fury?
02:28 - Man, I think that was a very, very big step for MMA.
02:34 You know, I think he did amazing.
02:38 You know, I didn't really watch the whole fight,
02:39 but from what I've seen as far as like the highlights
02:42 and everything, he really went out there
02:44 and made a statement against one of the best in the world.
02:47 - Meanwhile, Deontay Wilder just said
02:49 he wants to compete in MMA.
02:51 You know, the light gloves could work in his favor.
02:54 How do you think he would do?
02:55 - You know, it all depends who he fights,
03:01 but yeah, dude, if he touches you, it's over.
03:04 So with those small gloves, it's a dangerous guy to fight.
03:07 - Now, yourself, before you got to UFC,
03:11 you honed your skills in the Cage Fury fighting champions,
03:14 becoming champion of the Featherweight division
03:16 multiple times.
03:17 How important is it to have a feeder system like that?
03:21 - I think it's super important, especially Cage Fury,
03:24 because, you know, the talent level is next level.
03:29 I think as far as a regional promotion,
03:31 they're the best in the world.
03:33 It definitely helped prepare me for, you know,
03:36 fighting on this big stage, for sure.
03:38 - Lots of crossover events nowadays.
03:42 UFC and WWE have crossed over in a sense
03:45 with the, you know, the merger there.
03:47 Are you a wrestling fan?
03:48 If so, who's your favorite WWE superstar?
03:51 - I'm not too big of a wrestling fan,
03:55 but I'm a very big Ric Flair fan.
03:58 - How about Conor McGregor?
04:01 Where do you think we're going to see him next?
04:03 Could that be in WWE or will it be back in UFC?
04:05 - Who knows, man, but I tell you what,
04:10 I think he's going to, you know, come back to the UFC.
04:13 That's just my thoughts.
04:14 I think you'll see him, you know,
04:16 fighting in the Octagon soon.
04:18 - What kind of opponent would you pick for him?
04:20 - Oh man, I think at this level
04:24 it would have to be someone like Gagey
04:26 or Chandler, I guess.
04:29 - All right, well, you've got Diego Lopez,
04:31 Saturday, November 11th, Madison Square Garden,
04:34 ESPN Plus pay-per-view.
04:35 Anything else you want the viewers to know
04:37 about what to expect from that card and your fight?
04:40 - Coming out hot.
04:43 Can't wait to get in there.
04:44 Can't wait to put on a show for all my fans
04:46 and all the people around the world watching.
04:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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