Vitor Petrino is on the cusp of breaking out. The promising light heavyweight prospect, gearing up to face UFC vet and #10 ranked 205-er Anthony Smith at home in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro on UFC 301 card on May 4, earned a step up in competition following an impressive unanimous decision victory over Tyson Pedro last year.

Although ‘Icao’ has made only four appearances in the UFC Octagon since joining the promotion, his undefeated record and eighty percent finish rate has seen him carve a name for himself in the division. And him being booked to fight Smith, a very recognizable name in the promotion, next is evidence of where the UFC thinks he belongs: at least in top-15 rankings; and perhaps, depending upon how his next couple of fights pan out: a title shot in the somewhat sparse light heavyweight division.

Vitor Petrino’s citizenship and ethnic background

Although the city and province he was born in remain unknown, what we do know for sure is that Vitro Petrino was born in 1996. One clue, however, to his birthplace is that he fights out of the city of Santa Luzia in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, which may perhaps be his hometown, or at least the city he resides in currently.

A Brazilian national, born to Brazilian parents, Petrino, like many UFC fighters, began his martial arts journey as a young child. In an interview with Sherdog.com, Petrino revealed that while he was exposed to taekwondo and capoeira (a dynamic, kicks-based martial art) since the age of six, he wasn’t much interested in them initially.

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It was at the tender age of six that the undefeated Brazilian began training in taekwondo and the dynamic, acrobatics-based martial art of capoeira, although, self-admittedly, he wasn’t much interested. This changed dramatically by the time his fourteenth birthday came around.

By this time, his outlook on martial arts had changed, as he fell in love with it, taking to it like a fish to water. Not sure if being a martial artist could be a viable career path, ‘Icao’ began learning boxing, Muay Thai, and Sanda simply because he was enamored with combat sports. And for him to take the next step in his career and dedicate himself to martial arts, his parents’ role would prove instrumental.

Who are Petrino’s mother and father?

As we have mentioned, little is actually publicly known about Vitor Petrino’s personal life. This involves any information about his parents, whose names and other details remain unknown at this moment. What we know about the 26-year-old comes from interviews he has given, discussing the pivotal role they played in him embarking on his professional martial arts journey.

In fact, it was his parents who pushed him into combat sports from the start, compelling him to take the aforementioned taekwondo and capoeira classes at six. But, the most crucial moment, and one that would define the rest of the Brazilian’s life was his decision to go pro as a mixed martial artist, coming across which made him realize that there was, after all, a viable career path in combat sports.

His parents and indeed his whole family, including his siblings’ support at this uncertain time, which was to serve as a crossroads for him, is what made him take the leap and go pro. And the CM System team member has never looked back since, making his professional mixed martial arts with a bang in 2019 with a first-round knockout in a local Brazilian promotion.

After a five fight win streak, with four of those being knockouts, ‘Icao’ was invited to fight at the Apex for a spot on the UFC roster on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. A second round knockout later, the Brazilian found himself opposite Anton Turkalj at UFC 221. The unranked light heavyweight has fought thrice in the world’s largest, most competitive MMA promotion since his debut, winning all three, two via stoppages.

His next fight, without a doubt, is the most important fight of his career so far. A win over the top-ten-ranked Anthony Smith, who has significant name recognition and a notable resume (including a possible DQ win over GOAT contender, Jon Jones, which Smith, in a display of his sportsmanship forsook, continuing their UFC 235 fight despite an illegal knee from the then light heavyweight king) would certainly help him break into the top ten and give him some much-needed name recognition of his own.

This could also put him in the title picture in the near future if his impressive and undefeated run continues against the higher caliber of opposition he will undoubtedly face going forward. What are your predictions for UFC 301?