Why UFC Fight Night 81's Ben Saunders credits Jon Fitch, Dennis Hallman for success

Many fighters talk about early-career losses with bitterness and resentment. UFC welterweight Ben Saunders isn’t one of them; he’s actually grateful for those blemishes on his record.

Saunders (19-6-2 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is 3-0 with two quick finishes since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2014. He intends to add another victory to that streak when he takes on Patrick Cote (22-9 MMA, 10-9 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 81 on Jan. 17 at Boston’s TD Garden. The bulk of the card, including Saunders vs. Cote, airs on FOX Sports 1.

“Killa B” originally washed out of the UFC in 2010 after he suffered three losses in four fights. Saunders built a reputation as an exciting fighter following his stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 6,” but his overall skillset wasn’t complete, and he couldn’t hang with the division’s elite talent.

Saunders said losses to Dennis Hallman at UFC 117 and Jon Fitch at UFC 111 in particular helped him realize where he stood in the division and what was necessary to improve. He spent the next four years grooming his striking and grappling in other organizations, including Bellator, until he finally received an invitation back to the UFC.

Now Saunders is ready for anyone, he said.

“(The fight with Jon Fitch) was a huge learning experience, and I’ll thank him all day long; if it wasn’t for him and ‘Superman’ Hallman, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Saunders told MMAjunkie Radio. “I stepped up my game and had to literally go above and beyond what I was already doing to learn and get better and look at me now. I got the (jiu-jitsu) to back it up and the standup to back it up. When I left, I was a striker with mediocre ground game, and I came back, and everyone is like, ‘Whoa, this guy has (jiu-jitsu) now.'”

Since his octagon return, Saunders has edged Kenny Robertson by split decision, quickly defeated Joe Riggs and submitted Chris Heatherly with the only omoplata finish to in UFC history. He wants to add Cote’s name to that list, especially since the matchup reminds him of the previous fights with Fitch and Hallman.

“Anybody with a name in the game, it’s an absolute honor to fight, and, in fact, those are the fights I’m looking for,” Saunders said. “I would imagine most people, most fighters, those are the fights they’re looking for whether or not they have the skillset to beat them. They just want to test themselves.”

Saunders is prepared for a test, he said. And Cote is very likely to bring him one. The former UFC title challenger has won five of his past six bouts and is coming off a “Fight of the Night” knockout of Josh Burkman at UFC Fight Night 74 in August.

Cote’s striking is his bread and butter, but he’s more than capable of fighting on the ground. Saunders said he’s aware his opponent can do it all; he just thinks he’s that much better.

“It’s taken me a long time to bring it all together and I think it’s finally happened,” Saunders said. “And obviously it’s going to continue to grow better.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 81, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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