One of the Brazilian highlights in action at UFC Tampa , the last event of 2024, Vitor Petrino is ready to leave the surprising defeat suffered against Anthony Smith , in Rio de Janeiro, in May, in the past and provide a show against Dustin Jacoby at the event this Saturday (7).
In an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS , the light heavyweight (up to 93 kg) fighter from Minas Gerais assured that he had learned valuable lessons from the recent setback and declared his focus on the next objective.
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“There’s always change. Either you win, or you learn. In this case, I learned to respect my body more, my limits, because we came from a sequence of many fights in a row and that affected my body and interfered with my performance. But, as I always say, it was a bad day at work, things happen as they should, and let's move on. Let's go to the next objective, which is Dustin Jacoby ,” said 'Cabuloso'.
Vitor Petrino will face the experienced Dustin Jacoby at UFC Tampa. Jacoby , a former top 15 fighter in the division and a striking specialist with professional kickboxing experience, has stated he has thoroughly studied his opponent's game and is ready to face the challenge and put on a show for the audience in any area the fight unfolds.
“I’ve seen several of his fights. Dustin Jacoby is a very versatile guy on his feet. He has vast experience in kickboxing, he’s fought our current champion, former title challengers. He’s a guy with extensive experience not only in MMA, but also in kickboxing. (…) We’re going to go in, regardless of the area. If it’s kickboxing, we’re going to test his kickboxing. If it’s ground fighting, we’re going to test his ground game. We’re there to put on an MMA show and we’re comfortable in any area,” he stated.
Although the loss to Anthony Smith significantly delayed Vitor Petrino 's journey towards the elite of the category, the Brazilian respectfully expressed his desire to test himself against Alex Poatan , the current champion of the category.
“I would really like to. Alex Poatan is a guy who has the respect of all the athletes in the category, who broke barriers, became a world idol, so it's something that only motivates us. I believe that maybe he will retire before then, because he has already achieved everything he had to achieve in the category and much more, but if I had the opportunity I would really like to face him. (…) If it's not to seek the best, there's no point in being here. The fighter has this spirit of always wanting to surpass himself. Taking on the guy who is at the top of the chain is the greatest proof of that. The guy who doesn't want that is in the wrong sport,” he concluded.
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