On cusp of reaching UFC, Plum grad Justin Patton to fight at Brawl in the Burgh 23

Justin Patton is on a roll in his professional mixed martial arts career.

The 2012 Plum graduate has won six of his last seven fights and is on the doorstep of making it to the Ultimate Fighting Championships.

He faces the No. 3-ranked featherweight in Pennsylvania, Ryan Cafaro, at 247 Fighting Championships’ Brawl in the Burgh 23 on Sept. 21 at the Monroeville Convention Center.

The winner of the matchup between the top-10 pro featherweights (145 pounds) in Pa., 247 general manager Hunter Homistek said, will most likely go directly to the UFC or a bigger show like Dana White’s Contenders Series.

Patton, who turned pro in 2021 and owns a 7-3 pro record including a 2-0 mark this year, said he is excited for this next opportunity.

“I’m just ready to go and implement my will to God’s glory and put on a show for everybody and show I am ready for the next level,” he said.

“(Cafaro) is a seasoned veteran. He’s good. He’s good everywhere. He will be a good test for me to show I am ready for the major leagues. If I can go in and stop him, that will put a feather in my cap.”

Homistek said the Sept. 21 card, which will feature close to a dozen fights in the cage, will have everything for the spectator.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “Leading up to it, we all wonder why we put ourselves through this. It’s a lot of stressful moments and a lot of work getting everything set and coordinated with the fighters, the coaches and the fans. But the payoff on Saturday when the event is happening, we all collectively look around and realize why we do what we do. It is really special. The MMA scene and the combat sports scene as a whole in Pittsburgh is in a really special place.”

Homistek said 247 Fighting Championships is excited to again run a show at the Monroeville Convention Center.

“The team at the Monroeville Convention Center is amazing to work with,” Homistek said.

“They are super accommodating. They love what we do, and they see the value in the partnership we’ve created. We’ve held several shows there. I think this is our 10th show there. It is a popular place for us to go. They have unlimited space, which is fantastic. For regional MMA, you’re not pulling a UFC-sized crowd. We get between 1,500 and 2,000 people at our shows. It is a perfect layout for our show. There’s plenty of space for everyone. It’s just a great environment.”

Homistek said he was pleased to hear the Monroeville Convention Center would be staying open after fears earlier in the year that it would close.

“We were so happy for the team there,” he said. “I was devastated for them when we first heard about it.”

The Sept. 21 card, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature six professional and five amateur MMA fights.

In addition to Patton, highlighted pro fighters on the card include Khama Worthy, a five-fight UFC veteran and former 247 FC champion; Somerset resident Taylor Cahill, a former Division I collegiate wrestler who is coming off a big win in his last fight at Brawn in the Burgh 22; and DuBois native Geno Morelli, an undefeated professional fighter who qualified for the NCAA wrestling championships while at Penn State.

Stout Training, one of Pittsburgh’s largest combat sports gyms with a location in Monroeville, has five fighters on the card: Austin Warman, Zach Drzemiecki, Joao Martinez, Tim Bailey and Anthony Hogeback.

“MMA, at its core, is an action-packed night of fights,” Homistek said.

“In my opinion, it is the most exhilarating sport on Earth. The entire event feels like a two-minute drill in football with the last drive of the game and you have to score a touchdown. That is the kind of intensity that every fight will have. It can be violent competition, but it also can be super beautiful when you dig into these fighter’s back stories. My favorite part, and what I am so proud to be a part of in Pittsburgh, is that we have amazing people who fight here. They are well-trained and they go into a fight with a well-constructed game plan. That is what you will see with these fights on Sept. 21.”

Brawl in the Burgh 23 on Sept. 21 comes on the heels of three other Brawl in the Burgh events this year: June 29 at the Monroeville Convention Center, April 20 at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, Pa., and Feb. 24 at the Murrysville SportZone Arena.

Since 2019, 247 Fighting Championships have held more than 30 combat sports events, ranging from submission grappling to MMA.

Homistek said 247 Fighting Championships has just finalized a 10-year lease on a personal events space in North Versailles.

“It is a smaller home location that we will run,” he said. “We will be pretty close to Monroeville. We’re pretty excited to get that up and running.”

Additional information on Brawl in the Burgh 23 and tickets are available here.

A live stream, 247 Live, will be available with apps on iOS, Android, Roku, FireTV and Apple TV.