Before Thomas Patrick even had his first amateur fight, he had his eyes set on the title. That makes this weekend’s fight at Rumble at the Roseland 90 that much more important to him. On Saturday night in Portland, he will look to capture the Full Contact Fight Federation (FCFF) lightweight title, a goal he very much wants to cross off his list. I had the opportunity to sit down with the Gracie Barra fighter this week to discuss his upcoming fight and what, if anything, is left for him in the amateur ranks.
Early on in his career, Patrick had the chance to fight for the FCFF lightweight title and suffered what would be his first career defeat. This never sat well with him whose eyes are still clearly on the title he failed to claim.
“It has always been a goal of mine. Before I ever even had an amateur fight I wanted the title. My old coach even told me he didn’t want me to fight if I wasn’t ready for a title shot right away. I have been trying to get that title since 2014,” said Patrick.
Patrick was supposed to fight for the featherweight title this past December at Rumble at the Roseland 89. Unfortunately, his opponent was forced to withdraw due to injury and Patrick was left to wonder if the FCFF would be able to find him a replacement opponent. As it turned out, they could not and again a championship with the FCFF eluded him. Because of the fight cancellation and quick return to the cage, he has found himself in a bit of an extended training camp. For Patrick, this turned into an unexpected opportunity.
“I went from one training camp straight into the next one and I didn’t get a chance to take a break or anything. It kind of turned into a three month long training camp. [In the end] it turned out pretty good for me. Strength and conditioning wise my coach pushes me so hard everyday. Everyday I go to practice I might be dreading it, like I threw-up at practice today. But I am in such good shape now, I can go five rounds easily.”
Patrick went on to say that he gives a lot of credit to his strength and conditioning coach, Eric Hurt of Breakthrough Fitness, for helping him evolve that part of his game. Patrick was emphatic that thanks to his time with Hurt he has reached a new level of fitness and doesn’t believe anyone will be able to outwork him in a fight. This fight at Rumble at the Roseland 90 is no exception. When I asked him about his opponent, he was not terribly impressed.
“I know who I have been training with, I know who is coming after me, trying to kill me in practice everyday. Then I see videos of [Abasi Young] at LA Fitness in the Zumba room or whatever and he’s in there boxing with his buddy. That’s not even worthy of a title fight. His window of opportunity [against me]is small.”
Clearly Patrick is not lacking confidence and that is a good thing because it seems that a move to the professional ranks is not too far off for the 25 year old. However, before he moves on, he has some unfinished business he wants to handle and that is making a run at featherweight. Patrick’s coach at Gracie Barra, Fabiano Scherner, wants him to get comfortable with the idea of cutting to 145 pounds. He has a frame that seems well suited for featherweight and should the cut go well he might be looking for his pro debut there.
Until the time comes for Thomas Patrick to leave the amateur ranks, he will certainly aim to lock up as many titles he can. His passion to compete is infectious and it shows when he talks about what he wants to do moving forward. “I just want to fight. I will fight anyone,” said Patrick. “If you tell me you’ve got a fight for me, yes I will take it.”
