Former UFC light heavyweight fighter Patrick Walsh earned his third win in his last four fights as he defeated Jesse McElligott at CES 30 on August 14th. It was the first time Walsh competed for CES since 2013 and the first time he’s competed outside the octagon in his last two fights. With CES having a new partnership with AXS TV, he admitted the promotion felt like a big league show. “UFC obviously is the biggest stage in the world for MMA [but] its surprisingly similar for something like CES.” Walsh told MMAOddsBreaker. “It’s really getting bigger, the fact that they have the TV deal. It’s much more official then it had been in the past. With the UFC you still have that small feeling; you’re still all huddled together on the way in. You’re still hanging out in the locker rooms; it’s a little bit nicer. But the same logistics, all the same. It was almost surprising how similar it was to my previous fights.” Walsh (6-2) defeated McElligott quite handily taking home the unanimous judges decision, but there were a few surprising aspects about his opponent. “[I couldn’t believe] how tough that guy was. I thought I did just about everything right, granted I didn’t have any risky submissions. I played a pretty safe game, but I mean I was grinding him out. My positions were great, I was dropping elbows. I couldn’t believe he was able to endure and never stop. I did everything right, but he was just tough that he took the elbows, the top pressure, the grind. I was very surprised that he never gave up. I’m never satisfied unless I have great finish. Definitely not satisfied but I did everything my coaches told me to do. I just was not able to finish him, but I’m definitely impressed with Jesse and hats off to him. I can’t say I did anything major wrong. Just the finish wasn’t there.” The 26-year old did go out and celebrate following his victory, but the party didn’t last too long as the TUF 19 veteran went right back to the gym after his win. “A bunch of us went out, we stayed in Providence. We went to a nightclub, a smaller place. It was nice; I had some people come up from New York. They were able to celebrate with me and my family. I had a few drinks but I mean I was training the next day. I own Victory Combat Academy, taught class, got some rolling in. Felt good the next day. It’s something where I want to get right back into fight camp, get something scheduled as soon as possible. Just to keep going.” Coming off the victory unsaved, Walsh admitted he doesn’t want to waste any time and would love to get right back in the cage as soon as possible. “[Competing] tomorrow would be perfect for me. I love to compete, if it was a jiu-jitsu tournament tomorrow I’d signing up for it. I’m addicted to that competition and I’m always looking. If I could fight every day I would. It would almost be better for me to always be in fight camp. I love training, sparring, grappling, I love all of it. My whole culture, my friends, everyone trains and I surround myself with it. It’s a really good life.” The Victory MMA product doesn’t have any specific opponents in mind, but did reveal that he’d be willing to take fights both at light heavyweight and heavyweight. “205-pounds, heavyweight and 185-pounds is a little tough for me to make. But if I have enough time I can make it. I think 205 is a better weight class for me. All I have to do is look the rankings for the North East and figure out who the top guys are. I know the heavyweight fighter “Banana” (Juliano Coutinho) is pretty good, I’ve trained with him a few times. Also Tyler King is one of those top heavyweights; I’d like to beat up on him as well. Whoever has the best credentials that will add to my career.” With the UFC’s light heavyweight class running thin on the prospect line, Walsh knows that he could be a couple wins away from being scooped back up. For now however, Walsh is mainly concerned with winning fights and evolving his skillset. “The last conversation I had with Joe Silva was to [give him] a call after three wins. It’s kind of a process; I get three wins I get on the [UFC] injury list. If someone gets hurt or something like that, I’m right on that list. I am kind of the ideal situation; I was on The Ultimate Fighter. I had a couple of fights in the UFC, I really didn’t have a bad record in the UFC I was 1-1. Getting back on that injury list after three fights and hoping someone gets hurt around my weight. That’s kind of the process.” You can follow Patrick on Twitter @PatWalshMMA and you can listen to the full audio version of the interview on an “Extra” edition of The Parting Shot Podcast (55 mins in)
