Athletes
Vitor Petrino Aims To Continue Rapid Ascent
Dana White’s Contender Series Alum Seeking Fifth UFC Win And Second Victory Of 2024 In Main Card Clash With Anthony Smith
Vitor Petrino earned his UFC contract on September 6, 2022, with a second-round stoppage win over Rodolfo Bellato in the final bout of Week Seven on the sixth season of Dana White’s Contender Series.
He made his promotional debut on March 11, 2023, 187 days after punching his ticket to the promotion’s light heavyweight division. Over the next 358 days, the Brazilian prospect would earn three additional victories, claiming a spot in the Top 15 in the 205-pound weight class with a unanimous decision win over Tyson Pedro at the start of March.
Order UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg
This weekend in Rio de Janeiro, just 607 days after his contract-winning turn at the UFC APEX, Petrino steps in with former title challenger and divisional stalwart Anthony Smith in the featured bout of the UFC 301 main card, looking to collect his second win of the year, his fifth consecutive UFC victory, and run his overall winning streak to an even dozen.
“Things happen the way they have to be,” Petrino answered when asked if he could have envisioned putting together four victories in his first year on the UFC roster. “I’m enjoying the process and doing my job in the best possible way.
“I’m happy with all this.”
The 26-year-old has plenty of reasons to be happy.
Petrino forcing his way into the rankings in a relatively brief amount of time is a significant achievement, as is maintaining his unblemished record while continuing to progress up the divisional ladder.
He looked green, almost wild in his debut victory over Anton Turkalj in the opening quarter of last year, but against Pedro back in March, you could see the continued progress the Cristiano Marcelo pupil has made as he’s logged more time in the Octagon and completed each additional training camp.
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There is still plenty of room for him to keep growing, and the challenges are only going to keep getting tougher, but as far as rookie years go, Petrino’s went exceptionally well.
Not that he’s surprised.
“I’m not,” he said when asked if his Year One success and rapid ascent up the ranks caught him off guard. “(I have) always been sure of what I wanted. I’m not in a hurry to achieve my goals, but I don’t have time to lose either. I will do my best to always be among the best.
“I’m very proud to look at where I came from,” he added, reflecting on his achievements. “(I’m) living a dream.”
Vitor Petrino Lands Thunderous Check Hook In Round 2 | UFC São Paulo
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Vitor Petrino Lands Thunderous Check Hook In Round 2 | UFC São Paulo
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Saturday night, the dream brings him to Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro as part of a pay-per-view fight card where every matchup pits a Brazilian competitor against someone from outside the borders of the host nation.
Opportunities like this — the chance to compete at home, in front of a partisan crowd — don’t come often for fighters from outside of the United States, and always carry a different kind of weight and meaning for those athletes, no matter how often they’ve done so, and this weekend is no different for Petrino.
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“Being able to fight in Rio de Janeiro is a bit nostalgic,” offered the rising star from Minas Gerais, who was part of the lineup last November when the UFC returned to Sao Paulo, where he registered a second-round knockout win over former Cage Warriors champ Modestas Bukauskas. “Great battles took place and history was made there.
“(It also means) being able to fight for the Brazilian public,” he added excitedly. “That energy is surreal; it’s an indescribable feeling.”
Now, just 183 days after fighting before a raucous crowd in Sao Paulo, Petrino will make the walk to the Octagon at home for the second time, stepping in against Smith just 64 days after handily defeating Pedro and forcing his way into the rankings.
The victory over the Australian veteran wasn’t the most electric outing of the DWCS grad’s tenure and ended the trend of him earning each subsequent victory in quicker fashion than the last, but it was arguably the most important win of his career thus far, as Petrino was forced to dial things back and take a more tactical approach against the experienced former Top 10 talent.
“Tyson was a difficult opponent,” he said when asked about the lessons learned from the first fight of his 2024 campaign. “He has a difficult game to decipher. I had to be a little more strategic, control my momentum a little.”
UFC 301 FREE FIGHTS: Pantoja vs Moreno 2 | Erceg vs Schnell | Martinez vs Yanez | Aldo vs Mendes 1
Gaining that experience at this level is invaluable and doing it while continuing to stack wins and maintain a perfect record is all the more impressive. It also further underscores why keen observers were high on Petrino heading into his appearance on the Contender Series and as he kicked off his UFC adventure last year.
While undeniably raw, the foundational elements for his becoming a potential factor in the frequently wide open light heavyweight division were evident, and the growth he showed from fight-to-fight was clear. The fact that he continued to turn up every few months added to the excitement about his upside, as there is no greater teacher than stepping into the Octagon and learning in the fray.
Thus far, it has worked out exceptionally well for the unbeaten fighter, which is why he’s making another expeditious return here.
Vitor Petrino | Best Finishes
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Vitor Petrino | Best Finishes
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“The greatest of all is to maintain the pace of competition; (staying) active and fit,” Petrino said when asked the benefits of competing as frequently as he has thus far in his UFC career. “Joining two camps in a row makes you feel more prepared.”
He will need to be fully prepared this weekend when he takes another step up in competition to face off with Smith.
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Though he enters off a loss, the 35-year-old “Lionheart” is easily Petrino’s toughest test to date — a veteran of more than 50 career fights that has made the walk to the Octagon 21 previous times, including a light heavyweight championship bout opposite Jon Jones.
Where the Brazilian is ascending at an electric clip and looking to continue that forward progress, Smith touches down in Brazil aiming to prove he’s still much more than a veteran name to be stationed opposite the latest up-and-comer with championship ambitions searching for their next big win.
Petrino recognizes that, and is honored to get the opportunity to share the Octagon with the former title challenger on Saturday evening.
“I have a lot of respect for Anthony, a guy who made history for the organization,” he said when asked about the matchup with Smith. “I’m happy to fight someone who fought with big names. You can be sure I’ll do my best.”
If his best is enough to carry him past Smith and extend his winning streak to a baker’s dozen, Petrino believes it will also bring him one step closer to the next goal he’s out to tackle, and continue to illustrate what has been clear throughout his 600-plus day UFC journey so far.
“Closer to the Top 5,” he said when asked where a win over Smith would put him in the division, adding, “(and) show that I am increasingly prepared to face the best of the division.”
Given how quickly he’s made it to this point, it feels safe to say he’s going to make that point abundantly clear in the very near future; maybe as soon as Saturday night.
UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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