LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 12: (LR) Pat Sabatini takes on Jonathan Pearce in a featherweight bout at the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Talented featherweights Jonathan Pearce and Pat Sabatini were both looking to get back in the win column in preliminary card action at UFC Vegas 98.
Pierce suffered two consecutive losses to Joan Delson Brito and David Onama, while Sabatini started with one loss against the rising star Diego Lopez.
Both of these fighters desperately needed a win to stay in contention at 145 pounds.
Early in the first round, Sabatini pushed Pearce into the cage and found an opportunity for a double leg takedown. As Pearce tried to stand up, Sabatini expertly jumped onto Pearce’s back and remained in control for the rest of the match. Pearce tried to break the bodylock Sabatini had around his waist and was subjected to a rear-naked choke.
Sabatini quickly secured a choke and forced Pearce to tap. This was Sabatini’s eighth first-round finish in his career. The match lasted 4 minutes and 6 seconds, but Sabatini’s control time was 3 minutes and 56 seconds. It was a dominant performance for the Philadelphia native, earning him his 12th submission victory.
“I think I have as much advantage on the ground as anyone in this division,” Pat Sabatini told UFC commentator Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. The win gives Sabatini four wins in his last six fights in the UFC and moves him closer to breaking into the top 15 of the rankings.
Official results: Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce, submission (rear naked choke), round 1, 4:06
