Pat Schilling may not be a name that you’re familiar with yet, but this UFC newcomer is planning to make a statement in his debut for the promotion on Friday’s inaugural UFC on FX fight card from Nashville, Tenn.
The 23-year-old Minnesotan was the beneficiary of some untimely injuries to other fighters and will be fighting Daniel Pineda on the preliminary fight card on Fuel TV.
For Schilling, the opportunity is something he has been working toward for some time, but the news came rather unexpectedly this past week.
“It was crazy,” the full-time Best Buy supervisor told BleacherReport.com. “I’m at work and I got a call from my manager, which I couldn’t take at the time because I was on the sales floor. Then he sent me a text that said ‘Urgent!’ so I stepped off the floor and gave him a call back. When he said, ‘You’re going to be fighting for the UFC,’ it kind of leveled me. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
Schilling and his manager had spoken to the UFC just days prior, but were instructed he still needed to get a couple more, higher-profile fights under his belt before he would get a chance in the UFC. However, the string of injuries to other fighters led to Schilling landing on the top of the alternates pile.
“I was pretty useless as a supervisor that day,” Schilling said, laughing. “I was doing laps around the store. I’m sure I gave great customer service, though, I had the biggest smile on my face!”
The contract he signed is a typical rolling UFC contract where a win will earn him additional fights. A loss could mean being cut, but the potential reward of a long-term deal with the UFC was well worth the risk of taking the fight on short notice.
“There have been a couple fights that I’ve been offered on short notice that we didn’t take,” Schilling admitted. “But when the UFC calls, you can’t really tell them, ‘Hey, wait until I get back on weight!’”
“Sure, there’s a lot to lose, but I’m gaining so much no matter what happens that night. I’m comfortable in knowing that I’m going to go out there, give it my all and hopefully put on a great performance and win.”
It’s this positive outlook on the fight which has really helped Schilling calm down in preparation for this great opportunity. While he understands that “Octagon jitters” could play some role, this confident young fighter is not feeling them quite yet.
“I really don’t feel that much pressure. I feel like this is a great opportunity that it’s a win-win situation for me,” he said. “I don’t feel like I have to go in and be crazy. If I go in there, be myself and do what I’ve trained to do, I’m going to be alright.”
Schilling’s opponent, Daniel Pineda, also took the fight on short notice and each man will be in the same boat when it comes to getting prepared for the biggest fight of their lives with significantly less than the normal amount of time to prepare.
“It’s a little comforting to know that he got the call after me,” Schilling said. “He knew that the UFC was looking at him, but he didn’t know he was going to be fighting on the 20th either. I know he cuts a little bit more weight than me, but I won’t count that as a disadvantage for him necessarily because we’re both going to be ready either way.”
One glaring difference in looking at Schilling’s record compared to his opponent’s is that Pineda has a significant experience advantage going into this bout. Not only has Pineda had about four times as many fights as Schilling, he has also competed in larger-scale fights already, including a bout in 2010 for Bellator Fighting Championships. But while Schilling acknowledges the experience difference, he also believes that it can be somewhat misleading:
Experience plays a role, don’t get me wrong, but only 15 minutes of his experience is going to count, and that’s the experience he’s getting with me. I’m not worried about his experience. He’s been fighting since I was a senior in high school so I know he’s a lot more of a veteran than I am, but in this fight, it’s going to come down to who has the better game-plan and who’s going to execute it better. That’s going to be me. I think I’m going to be able to take him where I want to and finish him.
When breaking down this fight on paper, it’s easy to see why those who have done some research believe this could potentially be a candidate for a nice “Fight of the Night” bonus. Both Schilling and Pineda are high-octane fighters constantly looking to finish and entertain the fans in the process.
Schilling said:
It’s going to be explosive and I think it’s going to end abruptly for either one of us. I think that he’s got the power to knock somebody out. I’ve got the quickness and agility, but I also think I’ve got the punching power to end it abruptly on my side, too.
But I think the way this fight is going to end is with me ending up with a submission. That’s going to be my best chance at a win. We could both try to grind out a decision and both be pretty tired by the end, but nobody wants to see that. He and I are both finishers.
The Ambition MMA prospect will be joined in Nashville by his trainer Mike Reilly as well as his girlfriend, Melanie, and his father. Others are planning on making the trip as well, but the short notice of the fight has made that difficult. Still, Schilling wanted to make sure he thanked everyone who has made this opportunity possible for him.
“I want to thank Melanie, my girlfriend, for all her support. She gets to deal with me while I’m cutting weight,” he said, laughing. “I also want to thank Mike Reilly and all of Ambition MMA for all of their support. And then thanks to my family, friends, fans…everybody who’s been writing on my Facebook wall, on my Twitter. It’s been a crazy week and the support has just been amazing.”
The ride is only just beginning for Pat Schilling and his rise up the rankings in MMA. This is the kind of opportunity that has made the careers of many fighters in the past, and Schilling could very well be the next.
Be sure to watch as he battles Daniel Pineda in a preliminary bout on Jan. 20 on Fuel TV!
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com