Thomas Petersen - News & Rumors - UFC | FOX Sports

Inconsistent ways continue Petersen lost to Vitor Petrino via KO (punches) at 0:26 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Impact While the result is not what he was hoping for, Petersen deserves credit for attempting to execute a solid game plan. Knowing Petrino has big power and questionable cardio, Petersen made it a point to try to get his wrestling game going. Of course, he failed on all eight of his attempts and was eventually knocked out early in Round 3, but Petrino was clearly slowing down and two of the judges had the fight even entering the final frame, so he was making some headway. It ultimately wasn't enough, however. The definition of roster depth, the 30-year-old Minnesota native has alternated losses and wins in his first five UFC bouts.

OCTOBER 11 • ROTOWIRE

Headed to Rio de Janeiro Petersen will take on Vitor Petrino in a heavyweight matchup at UFC Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 11, Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com reports.

Impact Petersen is an even 2-2 with the UFC, most recently picking up a win over Don'Tale Mayes in May. He'll now look to Petrino, who is set for just his second fight in the heavyweight division. Petersen will be at a slight disadvantage in terms of height and reach, but has the superior striking numbers, especially defensively. Both men employ a grappling-based approach, however, and Peterson happens to have the edge in takedown volume, as well as a perfect takedown defense. The latter will certainly be tested when the cage doors close.

JULY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Leans on wrestling in victory Petersen defeated Don'Tale Mayes via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Impact Knowing full well Mayes has zero grappling chops to speak of, Petersen simply leaned on his wrestling in one of the most dominating grappling performances you will ever see. He landed all nine of his takedown attempts and racked up 13:49 worth of control time, truly insane numbers for a three-round fight. A finish would have been nice, but that's simply nitpicking. It was by far the best effort of Petersen's brief UFC run. The 30-year-old Minnesota native has now alternated wins and losses in his first four bouts with the company.

MAY 4 • ROTOWIRE

DWCS 60 winner Thomas Petersen would love opportunity to avenge lone career loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta Now a UFC fighter, Thomas Petersen hopes he gets to run things back with Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the octagon.

AUGUST 31, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM