UK standout Sam Patterson beat the previously unbeaten Danny Barlow at his own game to kick off the UFC Vegas 103 main card.
The UFC Vegas 103 main card kicked off with an undefeated standout suffering his first loss in wild fashion.
Welterweights Sam Patterson and Danny Barlow squared off in a matchup between two of the brightest prospects in the division. In a rare clash between two recent Dana White’s Contender Series graduates, many eyes were on Patterson and Barlow to make a statement at the UFC Apex.
But the fight didn’t play out as most expected.
Sam Patterson proves he’s more than a grappler in vicious KO at UFC Vegas 103
Patterson, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, caught Barlow with a massive hook that stumbled the undefeated star and forced him onto the back foot. Patterson put the pressure on with a flurry of punches, including a right hand to Barlow’s chin as Barlow attempted to regain composure and posture.
As Barlow collapsed to the canvas, Patterson poured it on with ground-and-pound to earn his first UFC knockout win. It was his first knockout victory overall since March 2022.
Patterson earned submissions in three of his previous four matchups, including first-round taps of Yohan Lainesse and Kiefer Crosbie. He earned a spot in the UFC by choking out Vinicius Cenci on DWCS in 2022.
Meanwhile, Barlow suffered his first-career loss after wins in all nine of his previous professional bouts. Barlow knocked out Josh Quinlan at UFC 298 and defeated Nikolay Veretennikov by decision after earning a UFC contract in 2023.
Here’s how fans reacted on social media to Patterson’s knockout win.
“Barlow got fraud-checked into the shadow realm,” one fan wrote.
“Fraud checked by Patterson,” another said.
“Barlow got fraud checked bad.”
UFC Vegas 103 ramps up after sluggish prelims
Patterson’s knockout came after a ‘Knockout of the Year’ candidate by heavyweight Mario Pinto over former NFL player Austen Lane. Before the Patterson and Pinto finishes, UFC Vegas 103 began with four fights going to decisions.
UFC Vegas 103 lost two fights at Friday’s official weigh-in. A botched weight cut by Luana Carolina canceled her scheduled fight with Montana De La Rosa, and Douglas Silva de Andrade was pulled from the card after weighing in due to an unspecified medical issue.
UFC Vegas 103 was headlined by a clash between flyweight contenders Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev.
Bloody Elbow has you covered with all the latest results and highlights from UFC Vegas 103.