On just a week’s notice, Andre Petroski will step up at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 81 against Michel “Demolidor” Peteira, a dangerous match-up few fighters would be willing to take on short notice.
Not so for Petroski (10-1), who was happy to answer the call. The 32-year old from Renzo Gracie Philly sits on a five-fight win streak at the moment.
“First and foremost, UFC needed me,” Petroski told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “No one else would take it. Obviously [Marc-Andre] Barriault pulled out, had an injury. So first and foremost, UFC needed me. This is like my third or fourth short-notice fight with them. So they obviously knew who to call.”
The money doesn’t hurt either. “Obviously compensation was pretty sweet.” In other words, they’re treating Petroski well for stepping up on short notice. “Yeah,” he agreed.
Petroski had been in Thailand training for the ADCC trials when the call came. “Initially, my thought was like ‘no,’ but Mick [Maynard, UFC matchmaker] was like ‘yo, do you want to send your daughter to private school?’ and I was like ‘f*ck yeah,'” Petroski joked.
What he sees ahead of him is a potentially crazy opening round. Pereira is known for explosive opening rounds and unhinged stand-up attacks. He’s also known for tiring later in fights. “He’s wild, he’s unconventional, he’s got cardio issues which I like to see in my opponent. I think it’s a good match-up, it’s an exciting match-up. Certainly a recipe for a wild first round.”
Asked for a prediction, perhaps with that in mind, “first-round finish,” stated Petroski. It helps that teammate Sean Brady had previously prepped for Pereira. “My coaches had watched him and had prepared for him before. So we kinda had a good idea of what we’re doing with. Yeah, for sure.”
Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 81 middleweight Andre Petroski above.
