UFC light heavyweight Patrick Cummins entered the promotion under almost fairy tale circumstances a few years back. When Daniel Cormier needed a short notice opponent, Cummins, famously working as a Barista, stepped in. He was a former training partner of Cormier’s, and at the time was having a hard time finding opponents willing to face him.
Cormier made short work of “Durkin” in his UFC 170 debut in 2014, but the Pennsylvania native still had his foot in the door, and has stuck around the UFC ever since. Cummins (9–4) has gone 5-4 in the promotion, and heads into Saturday’s UFC on Fox 25 coming off a win over Jan Błachowicz at UFC 210.
At age thirty-six, however, you might think there was some pressure for Cummins to go on a run — but that’s not how the wrestler sees it.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Cummins said that “I’ve come into this sport pretty late in life – I’ve only had 13 fights. That’s not a lot for somebody 36 years young.”
“The last fight and this fight is just getting my steam back under me a little bit,” he told the outlet. “I hit a rough patch and I ironed some things out.’
Cummins, who will face Gian Villante Saturday night, went on to add that “there’s not this time-clock pressure. I don’t need to get something done this year. I feel great – I’m 36, but I don’t have fight miles on me. My body feels great, and I’m not sick of doing this. I love it.”
UFC on Fox 25 takes place Saturday, with a middleweight showdown between Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum in the main event.
