The anticipation among fans keeps rising as we approach the UFC 301 pay-per-view. 27-year-old Ihor Potieria, who will take on Michel Pereira on the main card, will seek to stay on the winning side. He’s amassed a respectful record since he strayed into the world of MMA. But that’s a discussion for another day, because today, we’ll be digging up the details regarding his background.

Having joined the UFC almost a couple of years ago, Potieria began training in judo, wrestling, boxing, and pankration. He was always fond of the fight game and hence made his way into MMA. But where is Ihor Potieria from? Let’s crack open the details on that one.

Is Ihor Potieria Ukrainian?

Yes, ‘The Duelist’ is from Ukraine. He was born in Kyiv, which is the country’s capital, and stayed there until he was 18. Later, for some undisclosed reasons, Ihor Potieria moved to the other side of the globe and came to the United States. However, the 21-5 UFC fighter maintains his Ukrainian nationality and represents his native country as a professional MMA fighter.

On the ethnic side of things, Ihor Potieria has roots in the East Slavic community, an ethnic group that can only be found in Ukraine. After his advent into the UFC, ‘The Duelist’ claimed to have found the place where he rightfully belongs, fighting inside the Octagon, according to his profile page on the UFC’s website.

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But how did it all begin for Potieria? Well, he had been training even before he even moved to the States.

How did Ihor Potieria start fighting?

The 27-year-old had a few amateur fights under his belt, having fought in the regional promotion named Professional Fight Union. Ihor Potieria also has a blue belt to his name, which he earned while training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Moreover, he’s a pretty good grappler and has trained under several notable names like Paulo Miyao and Lloyd Ervin, just to name a few. Shortly after he became an adult and reached the age of 18, Potieria finally turned into a professional MMA fighter.

Currently, training at San Diego’s famous Tiger Muay Thai gym, Ihor Potieria first fought as a pro when he was still in Ukraine. The Kyvian raised his UFC stock by claiming a 17-2 record and was then signed to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series. There, he earned his contract after destroying his opponent with a knockout. Nonetheless, in an unexpected turn of events, Potieria’s UFC career so far hasn’t turned out the way he would have wanted it to.

The Dualist’s record in the UFC

It would be a huge understatement to say that Ihor Potieria’s UFC career has been off to a shaky start. He won his DWCS fight against Lucasz Sudolksi, but he could not maintain consistency when it came to his performances. Potieira has only been able to establish himself in Dana White’s promotion with three wins and three losses so far in his stint of almost a couple of years. It is also important to note that The Ukrainian fighter is susceptible to knockout blows.

All of Ihor Potieria’s three losses against the likes of Nicolae Negumereanu, Carlos Ulberg, and Rodolfo Bellato have come by knockouts and the fights failed to even go the distance. Meanwhile, he’s also registered two knockouts of his own, and only once his fight went all three rounds, which was his last one against Robert Bryczek, which he won by decision. He also has an all-important win against former champion Mauricio Rua as well.

The biggest challenge for Ihor Potieria is maybe waiting this weekend. Michel Pereira, his opponent, is on a roll with a 7-fight winning streak. Will Potieira out-fight the Brazilian this weekend? Drop your predictions in the comments.