Joe Patterson returns at Meltdown Fighting Championship 8 in the hunt of earning the first victory of his young amateur career.
Meltdown Fighting Championship 8 takes place this Saturday live from the Thornbury Sports Centre in Bristol. The fight card consists of 12-bouts, subject to change. Saturday night will see a mixture of experience on display, with debutants fighting inside the cage for the first time and the more experienced amateurs furthering their notable cage time.
Joe Patterson made his amateur debut towards the back end of 2021 and dropped a unanimous decision to Murat Mammedov. Despite not leaving with the win, Patterson took several valuable lessons away from the experience.
We had the pleasure of speaking with young Joe Patterson ahead of his clash on Saturday. Check out the full exclusive interview below.
Interview With Joe Patterson
Towards the end of last year, you made your MMA debut. How was that for you, and did it live up to expectations?
My MMA debut was a surreal experience as we only had three weeks to prepare after putting ourselves forward for it at the end of October. I’m used to the pressure of fighting from years of kickboxing/boxing, but the quick switch up to MMA was a big adjustment. I loved every second and can’t wait to get back in there on Saturday night.
What lessons did you take from your first time under the lights?
Even though we didn’t get the win, I felt like I belonged in there when I fought Murat in November and surprised myself by how composed I felt throughout the bout. As I mentioned, the years of striking experience would have helped a lot. I also learnt that I have lots to work on when it comes to mixing it up in a pure MMA fight.
You dropped a unanimous decision on the night. With some time to reflect, what do you feel went wrong?
After the fight was over, it was evident that the major hole in my game was my wrestling – he was essentially able to take me down when he wanted to, controlling and winning the bout on the ground. Afterwards, we knew what we had to work on for next time.
Joe Patterson: Improvements Since Debut?
What improvements have you made since then? Any key departments you’ve noticed a significant improvement?
My flaw in my game was my wrestling, so I’ve worked hard on that since my last fight. We got together with James Amos from Impact Gym, and he’s been teaching me pure technical wrestling in the lead-up to this next fight. James has put me through some brutal wrestling training sessions, which have given us the genuine technical insight on wrestling that we didn’t have before the debut in November. He’s a great teacher, and I’m looking forward to showing how much I’ve improved on Saturday.
What enticed you to get into MMA? Was it something that you always wanted to try? Any stories on that aspect?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t into MMA, as cliche as that sounds. My dad (also my head coach) got me into the sport as a kid, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. We watch all the UFC events and have been on tons of trips together watching all combat sports; all over the country to watch UFC, Cage Warriors and around Europe to watch Glory Kickboxing and competing on a ton of local kickboxing/boxing shows. He and the fighters I’ve watched growing up are the reason I want to fight, why I’ve never stopped training from a young age. Dad’s been my head coach since I was Kickboxing against grown men as a teenager, and we’re excited for this MMA mission we now seem to be on.
Preparation in Camp
What measures have you taken in camp to ensure you pick up your first victory on Saturday?
I’ve made sure my striking feels sharper than ever. I feel that I’ll be the faster, more accurate, efficient and well-rounded fighter. As I said, my wrestling is far better now than it was last time out, and I feel confident in being able to use it to get the job done. A lot of our prep has revolved around being comfortable in uncomfortable positions so that we can practice our ways out and stay composed on fight day to implement our strategy no matter where the fight takes place.
You meet Belal Habashi on the night. What do you know about your opponent, if anything, and how do you feel about this matchup? Do you feel it’s a fight that suits you?
Belal trains at Range MMA in Gloucester, a gym we know well. We’ve seen a lot of their guys fight, and we used to go up there once a week years ago, so we have an understanding of how their guys train and fight. That’s not to say we know exactly how the fight will go. We will just have to see. Belal is 0-1 like myself, so on paper, we match up well. I believe I have the height and reach on him, which works very much in my favour given my build and fighting style. I can’t wait to see how we match up once we get in the cage.
Lastly, what can we expect to see from Joe Patterson this Saturday on Meltdown Fighting Championship?
On Saturday, you’ll see a young, lucky kid living his dream. I’ve put in a lot of hard work, and I’m excited to enjoy the moment. I plan to be composed and sharp and take this guy out. I can’t wait.
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Featured image credits to Joe Patterson
