Vitor Petrino believes he will be main event material with a win over top-ranked heavyweight Serghei Spivac in the co-headliner of UFC Sacramento on Aug. 22.
Unbeaten in three fights since moving up a weight class in 2025, finishing Austen Lane and Thomas Petersen before winning a decision over Steven Asplund earlier this year, Petrino believed he would be given someone in the top 15 next, but Spivac actually exceeded his expectations.
"We're talking about a guy whose only recent losses have been to guys who were really close to fighting for the belt, including the current champion of the division," Petrino told MMA Fighting. "I know he's a guy who's going to give me a lot of exposure and help me a lot with my development — not just in my career and in the division, but in my personal development as well."
Petrino will be 4-0 at heavyweight if victorious Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., and wants to take his next career "step by step". He knows, however, that everything moves faster with good performances in the heavyweight division.
"It's never good to think about the next fight," Petrino said, "But I've already gone three rounds, I've knocked people out, I've submitted people. I'm heading into my 11th UFC fight, so I believe the next step is to headline a card, have a five-round fight and really test myself, and show that we're getting closer and closer to the goal, which is the belt. The closer we get to a **** le shot becoming a reality, the more ideal it would be to consistently look for five-round fights against opponents who can really deliver that kind of fight."
#spivac
Unbeaten in three fights since moving up a weight class in 2025, finishing Austen Lane and Thomas Petersen before winning a decision over Steven Asplund earlier this year, Petrino believed he would be given someone in the top 15 next, but Spivac actually exceeded his expectations.
"We're talking about a guy whose only recent losses have been to guys who were really close to fighting for the belt, including the current champion of the division," Petrino told MMA Fighting. "I know he's a guy who's going to give me a lot of exposure and help me a lot with my development — not just in my career and in the division, but in my personal development as well."
Petrino will be 4-0 at heavyweight if victorious Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., and wants to take his next career "step by step". He knows, however, that everything moves faster with good performances in the heavyweight division.
"It's never good to think about the next fight," Petrino said, "But I've already gone three rounds, I've knocked people out, I've submitted people. I'm heading into my 11th UFC fight, so I believe the next step is to headline a card, have a five-round fight and really test myself, and show that we're getting closer and closer to the goal, which is the belt. The closer we get to a **** le shot becoming a reality, the more ideal it would be to consistently look for five-round fights against opponents who can really deliver that kind of fight."
#spivac
2 months ago
