Vitor Petrino Navigates a Bump in the Road

Vitor Petrino found himself in a wholly unfamiliar position following his most recent outing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division: back at the drawing board.

The 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate will try to get back on track when he meets Dustin Jacoby in a three-round UFC on ESPN 63 showcase this Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Petrino enjoyed a rapid rise through the 205-pound ranks and pieced together an 11-0 record before suffering his first professional setback in May. Anthony Smith was the perpetrator, as the former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder called upon a guillotine choke to put away the Brazilian in the first round of their UFC 301 pairing.

“As far as my last fight, unfortunately, it wasn’t a good day at work,” Petrino told Sherdog.com. “I was very well prepared. I felt strong, both physically and mentally, so much so [that] I didn’t even take any punches. It was mostly carelessness on my part, as opposed to something my opponent did well. These things happen. It’s part of our sport. I made a mistake when going for a takedown against him. I didn’t take any damage, and he hadn’t threatened me at all before that.”

Jacoby poses altogether different threats. The Factory X rep has delivered nearly two-thirds of his professional victories by knockout or technical knockout. Jacoby enters the Octagon on the heels of back-to-back defeats, including a knockout loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC on ESPN 57 in June.

“Jacoby is super tough,” Petrino said. “He has a good history in kickboxing. He always looks to fight standing up. He’s good at managing distance, but I think he has his limitations. It’s a great matchup. Both of us enjoy striking. Everything is in place for us to put one of the best shows of the night.”

Petrino trains out of the CM System camp in Curitiba, Brazil, where he develops his skills under longtime coach and onetime Chute Boxe standout Cristiano Marcello.

“I believe that my team is ready for any situation I may find myself,” he said. “I’m feeling happy heading into this next fight.”

With the benefit of hindsight, Petrino chalks up the loss to Smith as a learning experience. All signs point to eventual rebound—either against Jacoby or someone else—as he moves to build out a successful future for himself.

“I’m still young,” Petrino said. “I have a long road ahead of me in the UFC. I’ll keep climbing this mountain and claiming my place. The setback in the last fight didn’t faze me. I’m looking forward to showing my work in the Octagon again.”