With the Return of The Ultimate Fighter, UFC is planning to introduce 16 fresh faces to the MMA world. 8 Bantamweights and 8 middleweights would fight for the prestigious TUF contract. The coaches for the season would be 145-pound champ Alexander Volkanovski and #2 FW Brian Ortega.
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In the show’s glorious past, the lives and MMA journeys of the competitors have been well covered. The Ultimate Fighter encapsulates short features focusing on the fighter throughout its run. One such feature has been released on ESPN MMA’s YouTube. It was focused on the MMA journey of middleweight competitor Andre Petroski.
In the video, Petroski shared he has been training in wrestling all his life. As a college wrestler, he last represented Kutzon University, Philadelphia in the 86kg weight class. He transitioned to MMA in 2016 and relies majorly on his grappling ability in his fights.
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The 29-year-old trains out of Renzo Gracie gym in Philadelphia.
Can Petroski bag the Ultimate Fighter contract?
The influence of his wrestling background is apparent in his fighting style. He has an offense-based standup, which he often uses to initiate the clinch. This grappling ability has seen him finish all of his professional fights. No fight of his has gone beyond 10 minutes.
As a pro, Petroski has a record of 5-1. He served as the middleweight champion of Philadelphia’s own Art of War Cage Fighting promotion. All of his five wins in the promotion have come through a finish.
His only professional loss was to Aaron Jeffery at LFA 93. In his first headline appearance, Petroski brought the fight to his opponent, who withered the initial storm. Jeffery finished Petroski with a knee in the second round.
In the premiere episode of the Ultimate Fighter 29, Petroski was able to display his domineering grappling in his very first bout. Petroski is competing under the tutelage of Jiu-Jitsu ace Brian Ortega in the show. Ortega lauded Petroski’s grappling skills, as he guillotined Aaron Phillips in the very first round of the very first middleweight fight this season.
"He learned that choke yesterday!"@BrianTcity talks about middleweight Andre Petroski's victory on the first episode of #ReturnOfTUF 🔊⬆️
Recap the entire episode ⤵️:
— UFC News (@UFCNews) June 2, 2021
Given his resume, all eyes would be on the Philadelphia native in the show. Regarding the Ultimate Fighter, Petroski believes that the tournament is tailor made for him. “It’s really not complicated. People make it more complicated than it is. You just got to work,” he said.
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