To leadoff the night for UFC on ESPN 60, a pair of heavyweights took to the octagon. Mohammed Usman entered the fight attempting to return to the win column after his first loss in the UFC after losing to Mick Parkin back in March.
His opponent, Thoams Petersen, a 2023 Contender Series product, was also coming off of a loss. Petersen fell to Jamal Pouges by unanimous decision in his debut with the promotion earlier this year.
The fight began with both men starting off slower, as they looked to measure the distance on the outside. Usman struck first as he landed a solid jab that was returned by Petersen. Thomas tried to look to initiate grappling, and momentarily grabbed a front head lock before he released it. Usman continued to move his feet and landed some strikes on the outside. A couple minutes into the round, Petersen was able to land a couple of punches on a retreating Usman. Midway thru the round, Petersen landed a solid left hand and continued to move forward on Usman as he looked for his opening. Usman defended a takedown from Petersen but ended up eating a knee in the process. A few seconds later and Usman was on the backfoot again as Petersen landed a couple of strikes, grabbed a front headlock and landed a knee. With less than a minute left in the round, Thomas was still coming forward, making Usman look uncomfortable every time he landed a boxing combination.
To open the second round Usman got right back on the jab but was immediately backed up by a combination from Petersen. Another thudding left hand landed for Petersen as Usman’s head snapped back as a result. Usman continued to throw the jab as Petersen answered with a low kick. Usman kept moving and landing strikes and two minutes into the round, Petersen successfully landed a takedown. Midway thru the round after taking a little damage on the ground, Usman was able to complete a technical standup to return to his feet. Usman’s strikes looked more labored when he returned to the feet, but he continued to throw punches. Seconds before the end of the round, Usman grabbed a deep single leg but ultimately released it. The two heavyweights sparingly exchanged till the round expired.
To begin the final round, Petersen landed another huge strike. Usman threw a couple of single shots and was countered multiple times by Petersen. At this point in the fight, Petersen was parrying, blocking or slipping a lot of the jabs of Mohammed. Thomas continued to move forward and found more success with his boxing combinations. Mohammed kept working and landed a few thudding strikes of his own, though labored looking. And with a minute left in the fight, it looked like Usman was getting pieced up by Peterson. With seconds left in the fight Petersen landed a crucial takedown followed up by ground and pound.
Thomas Petersen ended the fight with a wild callout, asking to fight UFC legend, Chael Sonnen in his post-fight interview.
Official Result: Thomas Petersen def. Mohammed Usman by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
