Heavyweights
Vitor Petrino (12-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Thomas Petersen (10-3, 2-2 UFC)Former light heavyweight prospect Petrino seeks to keep his momentum going at heavyweight against Petersen, who will attempt to go over .500 in the UFC for the first time.
Eighteen months ago, Petrino was the most promising fighter under 30 in the UFC’s 205-pound division, having won four straight since graduating from the Contender Series. After seeing his momentum blunted in back-to-back losses against Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby, he decided to move up in weight, making his debut in July with a first-round submission win over Austen Lane.
The move might not have been necessary from a competitive standpoint—Smith and Jacoby are both dangerous fighters and serious tests for any young up-and-comer—but it made perfect sense by the eyeball test. Petrino was an absolutely hulking light heavyweight who only figured to have a harder time with the weight cut as he approached his 30s, and when he weighed in for the Lane fight at 249 pounds while looking pretty much the same as before, his decision was at least partly vindicated before he even stepped into the cage.
Still just 28 and now competing in a division where he might have another 10 to 15 years of road to run, Petrino retains that prospect feel, and everything still runs off of his athleticism and physicality. He had crushing power at light heavyweight, as seen in his one-shot knockout of Modestas Bukauskas, and that should follow him up to his new division. His wrestling is more effective than technical; a bit like fellow 205-pound refugee Jailton Almeida, he often uses sheer horsepower to finish takedowns rather than chaining techniques. Once on the canvas, Petrino wields frightening ground-and-pound, as well as an array of topside submissions that should feel right at home at heavyweight.
Petrino’s biggest problems thus far have been with striking defense, where his poor head movement and heavy front foot leave him vulnerable. Jacoby was far more experienced than Petrino and a much more technical striker, but even the fading ghost of Smith had significant success kicking his front leg. That and the expected rookie lapses in fight IQ—the guillotine loss to Smith capped off two minutes of poor decisions—leave several areas where Petrino can show his progress as a fighter on Saturday.
Petersen is only 30 himself and nearly identical to Petrino in experience but feels more like a finished product. That is due in part to his more modest physical gifts, and in part to having come from an amateur wrestling background, and therefore having had a clearer idea from the start of who he is as a fighter. The “Train” from Minnesota is a burly, barrel-chested 260 pounds, with relatively short arms, a deficiency he makes worse by throwing looping punches with his chin straight up. He does throw plenty of volume, however, and has good power.
For a former junior college standout, Petersen’s wrestling is good but not overwhelming. He has solid entries from the outside but favors snatch single-leg attacks in close, which he finishes with persistence and good technique. On top, he is deliberate and heavy, but does not mount much offense, either with ground strikes or positional advances.
The line here is wide for good reason. Petrino is younger, much faster, and even if he weighs in 10 pounds lighter than Petersen, will be the functionally bigger man. He is by far the more dynamic finisher on the feet or on the canvas. Petersen’s best route to victory would involve taking Petrino down, avoiding being swept or submitted, and staying busy enough to avoid being stood back up while the Farmasi Arena screams “porrada” at the ref. That sounds daunting, even more so when you realize that Petersen would have to do it twice. The pick here is that Petersen runs right onto a massive punch or knee from Petrino sometime in the first round, with the Brazilian swarming for the TKO finish on the ground.
Jump To »
Filho vs. Carpenter
Petrino vs. Petersen
Mesquita vs. Alekseeva
Rocha vs. Nicoll
Walker vs. Usman
Polastri vs. Kowalkiewicz
Lacerda vs. Oliveira