Unified MMA 55 transpired at Rebel in Toronto, Ontario on January 19th. A tangible buzz was in the air with UFC 297 still to come the next night. Plus, Dana White’s Lookin’ For A Fight being in the house for the latest offering from this powerhouse Canadian mixed martial arts promotion.
Unified MMA 55
Excerpts from MMA Canada’s Dylan Bowker interacting with Pat Pytlik, Tom Theocharis, and Dorjan Dokaj at the Unified MMA post-fight presser can be found below.
Pat Pytlik
Recovering from lingering injuries during prior MMA competitive hiatuses and the new lease he has on his combat career
“Yeah like I’m healed up. I’m a hundred percent. It was the injury and then COVID hit. Then it was opportunity. I just didn’t have the opportunity, I just wasn’t getting the opportunities. I was back in the gym and I wasn’t able to get fights. But what I did get was I got the chance to work on my skill sets and improve.”
Having fought for Unified MMA over several years in the context of the concurrent growth between fighter and promotion
“Yeah there used to be some shady dudes on those cards, man (laughs). When I first started MMA, it was actually an accident. I was looking for a Muay Thai/ kickboxing gym just to stay fit. I walked into Hayabusa and they were sparring that day. Luke’s like you ever fight before? I’m like yeah, quite a bit actually. He’s like in what? I’m like Muay Thai, kickboxing, K1 rules. all kinds of s***. He’s like ok, well first couple rounds, we’re gonna start standing. So I was like alright. Then I was going through his guys and was like what the f*** all these guys are professionals? He’s like now we’re going to start standing with takedowns.”
“Then everybody beat the shit out of me. Like I don’t know anything. I’m not tough, I can’t protect myself, I’m a f****** wimp. I’m like I gotta learn this. Then after with my head between my knees, Luke was like do you want a job? So I took the job and I made him give me a fight three months later. The point of the story was when I first saw Unified MMA, the skill level wasn’t there. But now the skill level is crazy. Everybody on that card is a killer.”
“I don’t know if you saw it but knockout, submission, knockout, submission like everybody’s getting killed tonight (laughs). The first couple fights, maybe not so much. You can see a little bit still of the growth happening. But yeah, the rest of them have been solid. At least I think (laughs). I didn’t see any of it but I heard people getting knocked the f*** out (laughs).”
Tom Theocharis
With all factors considered when we spoke pre-fight, you described this as the biggest night of your life. As you sit here now after all of this has transpired with the quick KO in the big city, does this feel commensurate with the biggest night of your life?
“Yeah like it was; I still haven’t really processed the emotions obviously but like damn. There was just so much on the line here. With the UFC coming here. There was just so much friends and pressure, friends and family. It just felt like, man, my back was against the wall. Like I needed to f****** win or die and that was my mentality. So I really brought that into every single day of my training camp. Like get better every single day and I stuck to a routine. I stuck to a structure and everything worked out.”
A lot of fervent energy heading into these fights. Does that translate into the multitude of sub-one-minute finishes in your MMA career?
“I just; man, ever since I began fighting, like as soon as the ref says go, I just go (laughs). I’ve got one switch and it’s on (laughs). So that’s about it.”
When you spoke to LM2 pre-fight, you said 2023 was the best year of your career. Are there express goals for 2024 to top that or is it more about being adaptable to see what opportunities may present themselves?
“Exactly, definitely be more adaptable. I’m 30 years old, I’m turning 31 this year. So my age is; I’m getting into my prime. With that being said there’s also as you get older, everyone knows like it’s harder to get signed with the UFC and that sort of stuff. But I think I’d be perfect for The Ultimate Fighter. I’ve got a great personality. I’m biased but I’ve got a great personality. I’ve got a great fighting style, I’ve got an incredible story, and I can portray very well with my words and that sort of stuff. I think I’m a very marketable athlete, so.”
Dorjan Dokaj
How does it feel to be signed to a multi-fight deal with Unified MMA and to kick off this new contractual arrangement so emphatically?
“Amazing, amazing. For as long as I’m going to be back to back on the shows to fight, amazing.”
Medaling in multiple BJJ tournaments in Europe as well as Ontario last Fall and if securing the submission in an MMA context provides a unique kind of satisfaction here at Unified MMA 55
“We train jiu-jitsu. We work on the jiu-jitsu, on the wrestling, and then yeah, we train to finish. So it’s good. Like the goal is; even my coaches told me on the back like don’t rush anything. If it’s there, believe in your skills but don’t rush anything. So we just went there, didn’t rush anything. Then I felt that it’s in there and then we went for it.”