UFC Fight Night 261: Vitor Petrino vs Thomas Petersen Preview & Prediction
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Heavyweights lock horns in the penultimate fight on the prelims, as Vitor Petrino squares off against Thomas Peterson.
Vitor Petrino vs Thomas Petersen facts
What time are Vitor Petrino and Thomas Petersen expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot? Farmasi Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot main card
Charles Oliveira vs Mateusz Gamrot (Lightweight)
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Montel Jackson (Bantamweight)
Vicente Luque vs Joel Alvarez (Welterweight)
Jhonata Diniz vs Mario Pinto (Heavyweight)
Ricardo Ramos vs Kaan Ofli (Featherweight)
Lucas Almeida vs Michael Aswell (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot prelims
Jafel Filho vs Clayton Carpenter (Flyweight)
Vitor Petrino vs Thomas Petersen (Heavyweight)
Beatriz Mesquita vs Irina Alekseeva (Women’s Bantamweight)
Lucas Rocha vs Stewart Nicoll (Flyweight)
Julia Polastri vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz (Women’s Strawweight)
Luan Lacerda vs Saimon Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Vitor Petrino: "Icao" looks to go 2-0 since making the jump to the UFC's heavyweight division
It wasn't so long ago that Vitor Petrino (11-2) was undefeated and riding a four fight win streak in the UFC's light heavyweight division, with three of those wins coming by way of brutal stoppage. Regrettably, things haven't gone quite according to plan for the DWCS graduate since then. "Icao" would cough up his "0" after diving head-first into an Anthony Smith guillotine, before getting absolutely decimated by a Dustin Jacoby right hand in December 2024. However, Petrino has rebounded somewhat since moving up to heavyweight, earning a submission victory over Austen Lane in his first appearance at 265 pounds.
Thomas Petersen: Can Peterson push his UFC record above .500 and silence the home crowd?
Earning his shot at the UFC with a keylock submission victory on the Contender Series back in 2023, Thomas Peterson (10-3) has alternated wins and losses since joining the promotion. Despite eight stoppages in his professional career prior to signing with the UFC, "The Train" has yet to score a finish in the big leagues. On his better days, he's beaten Don'Tale Mayes and Muhammad Usman by decision, losing by finish to Shamil Gaziez and coming up short to Jamal Pogues on the scorecards when the deck hasn't been in his favor.
Vitor Petrino vs Thomas Petersen prediction
As with most UFC contests between mediocre heavyweights, this could get really ugly in short order.
Petrino might have destroyed Austen Lane in his heavyweight debut, but Lane was 1-3 with 1 NC in his five fights prior, with every single one of those defeats coming by way of nasty stoppage. "Icao" hits ridiculously hard and is the more athletic fighter in this match up, but he's also proven susceptible to disastrous lapses in fight IQ. Getting flat-lined by Dustin Jacoby is one thing but quite literally plonking your head straight into an Anthony Smith guillotine is another matter altogether.
On the other side of the cage, Peterson might be 2-2 in the UFC, but those wins came over Don'Tale Mayes and Muhammad Usman; two of the worst heavyweights currently plying their trade in the promotion today. He got absolutely flattened by Shamil Gaziez and lost a decision to Jamal Pogues, another notoriously low-level heavyweight.
Petrino is never going to be a contender, but he's a bona fide finisher with wins over better competition than Peterson has faced. People forget, man, this guy KO'd Modestas Bukauskaus! The vast majority of his success has come at a lower weight class, but he's actually the bigger man here, fighting an undersized heavyweight who has yet to score a UFC finish to boot.
Prediction: Vitor Petrino to win by stoppage
