Las Vegas, NV – The first fight of the night at UFC Vegas 54 put two middleweights that have been trying to fight each other since their LFA days. Nick Maximov put his undefeated record on the line against fellow wrestler Andre Petroski.
Maximov (8-0) was 2-0 in the UFC after earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in Nov. 2020. Since then he’s used a wrestling-heavy style to grind out wins against Cody Brundage and Punahele Soriano.
Petroski (7-1) was also 2-0 in the UFC stopping both Michael Gilmore and Yaozong Hu in 2021.
Plenty of trash talk between the two leading up to Saturday night’s fight and they settled it in the octagon.
Petroski ran right at Maximov to begin the fight and implemented a striking attack that was a bit wild to start. Maximov was the first to shoot for a takedown, but Petroski was able to counter it with his own takedown that turned into a front head lock.
Slowly, Petroski locked in an anaconda choke that put Maximov to sleep and ended his undefeated streak.
ARE YOU WATCHING!?!?!?
👊 @PetroskiAndre wasting no time at #UFCVegas54! pic.twitter.com/Irrj9hJsRL
— UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2022
Following his third victory inside the confines of the UFC, Petroski called out Gerald Meerschaert for a date at UFC 275 next month.
Official Result: Andre Petroski def. Nick Maximov via submission (anaconda choke) R1 1:16.
