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Patrick: Prepping for Roberts Has Sparked Improvement

Claude Patrick (above) said his UFC 129 bout with Daniel Roberts is a no-lose situation. | Sherdog.com



Claude Patrick joined the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show recently to discuss his UFC 129 welterweight matchup against Daniel Roberts.

The 30-year-old Canadian, who has won both of his UFC bouts, discussed his preparation for the match, competing in the UFC and fighting with skill.

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Patrick on his opponent: “Roberts is obviously a quality opponent, him being in the UFC and training with the team he’s training with. The guy’s highly skilled, a great submission fighter, a good wrestler. I think he’s got some underrated other skills as well.”

On the matchup: “I see it as a no-lose situation. I’ve improved so much getting ready to face this guy. A lot of times people thought I had a clear ground advantage, and now this time people are like, OK, he’s better on the ground. So then, OK, I have to double up my ground training. My skills have improved quite a bit. I’ve learned a lot and added a lot to my repertoire in preparation for this fight.”

On whether he’s studied film of Roberts to form a strategy: “Really you’re fighting yourself. You can plan for him to do X, Y and Z from all the tapes you’ve seen, and he could do something completely different and then you’re upstream without a paddle. That just would be a real disaster.”

On fighting in the UFC after years in smaller shows: “My mom is talking about the UFC. It’s literally a 180-degree turn from me fighting in some backwater show. It’s definitely, definitely the pinnacle of the sport.”

On the adventure he had making weight at UFC 120 in London, which began with Patrick searching for a local sauna (he kept coming across establishments designed for the sexually interested) and ended with a fellow competitor ruining his scale: “I had my scale, and Dan Hardy broke it and then he took off. I was like, ‘This guy broke my scale and took off.’ I guess he stepped on it and water got in on the battery. I didn’t know what weight I was at. You can’t show up off weight because at this time they had just cut Efrain Escudero, and the word was he got cut because he didn’t make weight. This guy was ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and I’m just some Joe Blow. … I might be out of a job. I had to keep cutting, keep cutting. I just kept working until I got up on the stage. That was a bit of a disaster, but it worked out OK.”

On brawls versus fighting with skill: “I’m not going to name anybody by name, but I’ll turn on a fight and my boys will be like, ‘That was ridiculous. Any boxer would punch that guy out. My sister punches straighter than that guy.’ And half the time, you can’t really say anything because the guy is actually right. These guys are just swinging for the fences to try to make what they think is a spectacular fight, which really is not a spectacular fight. None of the athletes really appreciate that. Obviously a [$70,000 Fight of the Night bonus] would be great. That can change your life, but a big thing for me is the respect of my peers. The other guys, when they look at you and say, ‘That was a good fight; you have quality skills,’ that type of thing goes a long way for me.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 42:24).
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