By Michael Lipinski, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
Pat Sabatini’s (16-3) journey to the UFC has been captivating to say the least. Championships at the regional level, broken arms, a return to championship form, and a UFC debut dashed by not fault of his own. Now the Bristol, PA native is searching for his fourth consecutive UFC win, sixth consecutive overall, and a continued climb in the featherweight rankings.
A mainstay in Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), Sabatini lost his CFFC Featherweight Championship at CFFC 81 when he refused to tap to James Gonzalez, breaking his arm in the process. He returned to the cage winning his next two fights and reclaiming his featherweight title at CFFC 84 and CFFC 91, respectively.
‼️‼️ BROKEN ARM ‼️‼️
This is crazy! Pat Sabatini's arm broke at #CFFC81 @CFFCMMA #UFC #UFCFightpass #MMA #MMATwitter
— TheFightGame247 (@TheFightGame247) February 2, 2020
His performances were enough to earn a call from UFC’s Dana White.
Sabatini was tabbed as a short notice replacement to fight Rafael Alves at UFC Fight Night 185 in February 2021. What happened next has gone down in the annals of MMA history. Alves missed his 145-lb weight by a UFC record 11.5 lbs.
Sabatini’s call to the dance was delayed but was worth it in the long run. Sabatini has ripped off three consecutive UFC victories.
His UFC debut came at UFC 261, where Sabatini earned unanimous decision victory over Tristan Connelly. Sabatini followed up with a submission win over Jamall Emmers at UFC on ESPN 30. The Emmers victory earned Sabatini a “Performance of the Night” bonus. His third consecutive UFC victory came at UFC Fight Night 198, Sabatini scored a unanimous decision victory over Tucker Lutz.
PAT SABATINI FLIPS THE SCRIPT 😳
From getting dropped early to securing the heel hook! #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/dfabopApFh
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) August 28, 2021
Sabatini will have his opportunity to make it four consecutive UFC victories, and nine of ten, when he squares off against T.J. Laramie (12-4-0 ) on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 34.
Laramie is coming off a first-round loss to Darrick Minner at UFC Fight Night 178 but had won seven of his previous eight fights before the loss. The Canadian is well rounded picking up victories in all phases of MMA, submission, TKO/KO, and decision. Laramie is currently ranked as the #87 featherweight in the world according to Tapology.
Sabatini is a -510 favorite in the fight according to DraftKings, the official sports betting partner of the UFC.
