Perhaps Vitor Petrino has found a new home for himself at heavyweight, as he capped off his second performance in the weight class with a highlight finish in front of a native crowd at UFC Rio.
Petersen looked to use his wrestling to his advantage during the opening two rounds. He was, however, repeatedly stuffed and stopped by Petrino, who laid in some damaging strikes. Petrino’s power, in fact, led him to score a knockdown on Petersen during the first round.
Fatigue would set in for both men as the third round kicked in. Just 26 seconds into the round, however, Petrino caught Petersen coming forward with a strong uppercut and hook, with the combination causing Petersen to faceplant for the KO.
Petrino then called out Marcin Tybura in his post-fight interview.
Vitor Petrino Puts Thomas Petersen Out Cold At UFC Rio
Petrino made his heavyweight debut at UFC Nashville in July, scoring a first-round submission of Austen Lane.
Petersen is now 2-3 in his last five after starting his MMA career 8-1.
