Vitor Petrino: Why I’m Moving to Heavyweight for UFC Nashville

---

Vitor Petrino chose to leave behind a harsh weight cut and enter a new phase of his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The 27-year-old Brazilian will take his first assignment as a heavyweight when he locks horns with Austen Lane in a featured UFC on ESPN 70 attraction this Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Petrino excelled in the 205-pound weight class, but back-to-back losses forced him to look in the mirror and consider whether a course correction was needed.

“It’s always been my dream to fight as a heavyweight. I’ve always felt I had the size and strength.” I’m very happy to be here now. I’m looking forward to showing a new version of myself to the fans and to the UFC. I’m in my prime.”

Petrino started his career with 11 consecutive victories, four of them in the UFC. He has since suffered two straight defeats to Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby, the latter by knockout at UFC on ESPN 63 in December. The missteps put his relocation plan in motion.

“I think I pushed myself beyond my maximum,” Petrino said. “I paid the price for it. This is our game, right or wrong. I didn’t listen to my body when I should have. I’m going up in weight now. In our sport, everyone wants to win, but one out of the two has to lose. Now, I’m going to make up for those losses. I’m not too worried. I know of the high quality of my training and of my technical ability. Setbacks happen, but the work has been put in, and I truly believe in our work.”

Petrino was scheduled to meet Jhonata Diniz in March but withdrew to heal and further his transition to heavyweight at a more manageable pace.

“I had fought recently, but due to some injuries, my team and I decided it wouldn’t be the right time,” he said. “My body needed rest. After recovering, I was able to put on the additional weight without any problems. I had been fighting back-to-back too frequently. My body started to collapse. I rested a little and spent some time with family. I signed up to face Diniz, but when I started training hard, some old injuries were still there. They were aggravated. I ended up with medial and lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) on both sides.”

Once he fully recovered, Petrino began to plot his moves at the CM System gym where he has long trained in Curitiba, Brazil. There, he hones his skills under trusted confidant Cristiano Marcello.

“Ours is one of the best teams in Brazil,” Petrino said. “We have more than 40 athletes with whom to spar. Eight of them are heavyweights. We have everything we need to achieve excellence.”

In Petrino’s path stands Lane, a 6-foot-6 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate who spent parts of five seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. The 37-year-old Bulldog Boxing rep has lost three of his past four bouts.

“Austen is a super tough fighter,” Petrino said. “Even though he hasn’t had good results recently, he doesn’t run from a fight and puts everything on the line. He puts on shows. Neither one of us likes to step backward. We like to put on a show, no matter what. I’m very excited for this fight. I know he’s hungry for a win, and so am I. Everything is in place for one of the best fights of the night