It’s full speed ahead for Unified 48’s Pat Pytlik after long layoff

Dec 6, 2022

TORONTO – Pat Pytlik is back.

He returns to the cage for the first time in over three years against Michael Hill at Unified 48 in Toronto at the International Centre on Dec. 16, LIVE on UFC Fight Pass.

What is it that’s kept the former Unified MMA Canadian Welterweight Champion on the sideline for so long?

“Injuries,” Pytlik says. Specifically a serious back injury he suffered shortly before his most recent fight at Unified 36 in 2019 in Edmonton.

“I should’ve pulled out, but I had people flying in from Ontario to see me fight, so I really felt I had to compete and put on a show,” Pytlik says.

“It went from bad to worse,” he adds with a laugh. “It got pretty bad.”

Pytlik endured a long, grueling road to recovery. There were times when he couldn’t walk without crippling pain, but he says he always knew that he would enter the cage again.

“There was never a doubt in my mind,” Pytlik says on the eve of his highly anticipated return to action against Hill in Toronto.

Pytlik’s prediction for Unified 48 is simple – the judges won’t be necessary. Despite the extended layoff from competition, the Waterloo, ON product says this fight doesn’t feel any different or more special than past bouts. That being said, he’s eager to enter the cage and make up for lost time.

“I’d like to fight three times in the next year, and I’d like to be signed by the UFC by this time a year from now,” says Pytlik, who is 7-1 with seven knockouts on his resume. 

“It’s full speed ahead.”  

ABOUT UNIFIED MMA

Unified MMA is Canada’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, showcasing the country’s top-ranked fighters, LIVE on UFC Fight Pass. The organization has successfully promoted 47 events since it was founded in 2009, and has propelled several athletes to the UFC’s Octagon.