Andre Petroski Explains Meaning Behind Hammer & Sickle Tattoo

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The “TUF 29” semifinalist says it pays homage to his family’s origin.

Agreeing to replace Alen Amedovski on short notice at UFC 267 paid off for Andre Petroski, who recorded his second victory under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner on that occasion. Petroski (7-1, 2-0 UFC) forced Yaozong Hu to tap to an arm-triangle choke at the 4:46 mark of Round 3, claiming his seventh stoppage in seven career victories. While his performance was outstanding, there was another thing that caught the fans' attention. Many people couldn't help but notice that “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 semifinalist donned a hammer-and-sickle tattoo on the left side of his body. Petroski told Sherdog that there is no political meaning behind the tattoo.

“My great grandfather is from the Soviet Union,” he said. “It has no political meaning whatsoever. I know that a lot of people are sensitive to that, but it has no political meaning whatsoever. I’m not a communist, my family is from the Soviet Union. It kind of pays homage to him.”

The Balance Studios standout then added that the UFC didn’t tell him anything about his tattoo.

“The hammer and sickle originally was the symbol of the unionization of farmer and industrial workers. It wasn’t until later on that it became associated with communism. That’s not what it means to me, I don’t believe in communism, I think America is the greatest country in the world. That’s a fact. It’s the land of most opportunities. I think it’s a great country.”

Petroski also spoke about his activities before accepting the short-notice fight, the sequence that led to the finish, why he needs to fight more often, and more.



(00:00) Intro
(00:57) Taking the Yaozong Hu fight on short notice
(03:30) If he was training when he accepted
(05:20) Almost finishing his opponent in Round 1
(06:18) Submitting his opponent in the third frame
(07:30) Accepting fights on short notice
(08:50) Taking care of his dear ones
(10:04) Commenting his hammer and sickle tattoo
(12:11) Outro

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.