LAS VEGAS – When Pat Sabatini found out his matchup with Joanderson Brito would serve as the co-main event of Saturday's UFC on ESPN 65 card, he took it as positive enforcement that his career is headed in the right direction.
"Not going to lie, when I saw co-main event, I definitely got hyped up for it," Sabatini told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday's UFC on ESPN 65 media day. "Just one more step closer to the top. ... Let's climb. Let's keep climbing."
Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Brito (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will clash in a three-round featherweight bout at the UFC Apex (ESPN, ESPN+). It's an important fight for both men, but Sabatini thinks he has the advantages going in.
"Definitely a tough matchup," Sabatini said. "I think a lot of people would look at this like, 'Wow, this guy is a tough matchup for me.' But I kind of look at it the opposite way: I think I'm the tough matchup (for him)."
Sabatini, 34, has the utmost confidence in his preparation going into UFC on ESPN 64. He is a teammate of UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady, who just earned a career-best win against Leon Edwards in March. That provided Sabatini with even more confidence that he is doing the right things in his career, and he intends to follow suit.
"Sean set a good tone a couple of weeks ago against Leon," Sabatini said. "I'm looking to keep the ball rolling."
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC on ESPN 65.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Pat Sabatini jolted by UFC on ESPN 65 co-main event spot vs. Joanderson Brito
