Pat Sabatini was always expecting his CFFC BJJ 15 matchup with Richie Lewis: 'I kind of thought we were going to cross paths'

Reigning 170-pound champion Sabatini puts his title on the line in main event of Saturday's card in Philadelphia

Pat Sabatini is an incredibly familiar face to CFFC fans, as a former two-time MMA champion and current CFFC BJJ titleholder. Meanwhile, Richie Lewis just debuted for the promotion three weeks ago.

Nevertheless, Sabatini said he wasn't surprised one bit when the two were paired up for Saturday's CFFC BJJ 15 headliner.

"Honestly, I kind of thought we were going to cross paths in the grappling realm at some point," Sabatini said.

Sabatini's premonition isn't unfounded. After all, the two lifelong grapplers grew up just 50 miles or so apart from each other, Sabatini in Pennsylvania and Lewis in New Jersey. However, Sabatini turned his focus to MMA much sooner than Lewis, making his way up the professional ranks with CFFC and earning a UFC invite in 2021.

Meanwhile, Lewis chased after a career in wrestling at the International level, even claiming an U23 World Championship along the way. Once it was time to haNg up the wrestling shoes, Lewis also began a promising run in MMA, one he hopes will see him join Sabatini on the UFC roster in the not-too-distant future.

But for now, the two will cross paths on the grappling mat, with Sabatini putting his 170-pound title on the line against Lewis in the main event of Saturday's CFFC BJJ 15, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Philadelphia's historic 2300 Arena.

"I definitely feel like this is a very 'wrestler vs. jiu-jitsu' type of matchup," Sabatini said. "I just know we're going put on a great performance, and I know that the fans are going to love it, so I'm very excited."

Sabatini's simple breakdown makes sense. After all, with a 6-0 record on the CFFC BJJ mats, not to mention an incredible 13 submission victories across his MMA career, Sabatini would appear to be the more well-rounded grappler. Of course, while he doesn't have nearly the accolades of his opponent on the wrestling mat, Sabatini did compete at a Division I level.

So is it important to Sabatini to flex his submission skills, or is there something inside him that wants to prove he can keep up in the pure wrestling game, as well?

"I'd like to show both, man," Sabatini said. "I'd like to show that there's ways to really blend both styles and use it tactically against a tough opponent like Richie, so I'm definitely excited to show the hybrid of jiu-jitsu and wrestling."

With a successful defense of his title at Saturday's event, Sabatini said he hopes to get back in the UFC octagon soon after and resume his attack on the featherweight rankings. Since a 2023 loss to Diego Lopes – a result that's aged quite well in the two years since – Sabatini has rebounded with UFC wins over Jonathan Pearce and Joanderson Brito, as well as CFFC BJJ victories over Niko Price, Andrew Kochel, Herbert Burns, Peter Fazekas and Joe Solecki in that same stretch.

That's seven straight wins across all competitions, and Sabatini looks to keep it going on Saturday night. Everything is clicking right now for the 34-year-old veteran, and he intends to keep it going against an opponent he always assumed he'd meet one day.

"It just feels like I'm in my element, man," Sabatini said. "It's so much fun, you know? I love these events. It's such a great platform, and it's only going to get bigger.

"You're going to see a well-rounded game between the wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and you're going to see my style out there for sure."