Andre Petroski (born June 12, 1991) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Background

Having wrestled since he was four years old, Petroski was a three-time state qualifier at Springfield High School. He then attended

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

with full wrestling scholarship for two years, transferred to

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The c ...

and finalized his college career in

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (Kutztown University or KU) is a public university in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher ...

, majoring in communications. While waiting for graduation, Petroski started training

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

and fell in love with the art. Petroski battled a

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

addiction, before going clean in 2018.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Petroski started training mixed martial arts in late 2015, took his first amateur bout in the following January and eventually turned pro in 2018. Making his professional debut at Art Of War Cage Fighting 8, Petroski faced Mark Krumine and went on win the bout via TKO in the first round. After winning his next two bout via first round submission, at Art Of War Cage Fighting 15, he faced Shedrick Goodridge for the AOW Middleweight Championship, winning via TKO in the second round. Petroski defended his title once against Andre Hall at AOW 16, before headlining LFA 93 against Aaron Jeffrey. He lost the first bout of his professional career, getting finished late in the second round. Racking up a 5–1 record with a regional championship, Petroski was announced to be participating The Ultimate Fighter season 29 middleweight tournament.

The Ultimate Fighter

Petroski faced Aaron Phillips in the quarterfinal round, advancing to semifinals via first-round submission. In the semifinals Petroski was submitted in the second round by Bryan Battle and was eliminated from the tournament.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Petroski was signed to the UFC and made his debut against fellow TUF alum Micheal Gillmore at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze on August 28, 2021. He won the bout via third-round technical knockout. Replacing Alen Amedovski on short notice, Petroski faced

Hu Yaozong Hu Yaozong (born April 7, 1995) is a Chinese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hu wrestled Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...

UFC 267 ''UFC 267: Błachowicz vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 30, 2021, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background This event took plac ...

on October 30, 2021. He won the bout at the end of the third round via arm-triangle choke. Petroski faced Nick Maximov at UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić on May 14, 2022. Petroski won the bout after choking out Maximov in the first round via an

anaconda choke Arm triangle choke, side choke, or head and arm choke are generic terms describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between their own shoulder and the practitioner's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, whi ...

submission. Petroski faced

Wellington Turman Wellington Turman (born July 22, 1996) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Turman was born and grew up in Curitiba, Brazil. He ...

on November 12, 2022, at

UFC 281 ''UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 12, 2022, at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. Background A UFC Middle ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Petroski faced

Gerald Meerschaert Gerald Edward Meerschaert III (born December 18, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he formerly competed for the ...

on August 19, 2023, at

UFC 292 ''UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 19, 2023, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Background The event marked the promot ...

. He won the bout via split decision. Petroski faced

Michel Pereira Michel Pereira (born 6 October 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing as a Welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2011, he formerly competed for 300 Sparta, Akhmat Fight Club, ...

on October 14, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 230 ''UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 230,'' ''UFC on ESPN+ 88,'' and ''UFC Vegas 81'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 14, 2023, at the U ...

, replacing

Marc-André Barriault Marc-André Barriault (born February 18, 1990) is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Middleweight division. He previously competed with TKO Major League MMA where he w ...

, who withdrew due to medical issues. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Professional grappling career

Petroski was booked to compete against 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu black belt Rene Sousa in a superfight at Fury Pro Grappling 7 on May 27, 2023. He lost the match by submission, a straight ankle-lock.

Personal life

Petroski has a daughter. He has a tattoo of a hammer and sickle which pays homage to his great grandfather who hailed from the Soviet Union. He has stated that he's not a communist and that the hammer and sickle once had a different meaning before the symbol was appropriated by communists. Andre previously battled with heroin and opiate addiction and he’s been open about his struggles. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BR1feMbzVuI&t=406s&pp=ygUYQW5kcmUgcGV0cm9za2kgYWRkaWN0aW9u

Championships and accomplishments

*Art of War Cage Fighting **AOW Middleweight Championship (one time; former) ***One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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, Decision (split) ,

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, Decision (unanimous) ,

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New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Nick Maximov , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:46 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Micheal Gillmore , TKO (punches and elbows) , UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Aaron Jeffery , TKO (knees and punches) , LFA 93 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:19 ,

Park City, Kansas Park City is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,333. History The first Park City was founded in 1870. Located to the northwest of Wichita, it w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Andre Hall , TKO (punches) , Art of War Cage Fighting 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Shedrick Goodridge , TKO (punches) , Art of War Cage Fighting 15 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jesse James , Submission (kimura) , Art of War Cage Fighting 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:34 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ryan Parker , Submission (armbar) , Art of War Cage Fighting 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mark Krumrine , TKO (punches) , Art of War Cage Fighting 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 ,

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Bryan Battle , Submission (guillotine choke) , rowspan=2, The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Aaron Phillips , Submission (guillotine choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:42 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petroski, Andre 1991 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu