As far as Andre Petroski from the UFC can recall, there isn’t really a rivalry to speak of between Philadelphia, where he calls home, and Pittsburgh, the hometown of his opponent this weekend, Josh Fremd.
“I don’t think so,” he said on Tuesday afternoon when asked if there was any kind of interstate tension between the Pennsylvania sports cities. “I can’t remember the last time Pittsburgh was as good as Philadelphia in a sport; maybe since the Steelers, since Roethlisberger.
“I wouldn’t say there was a rivalry there, but I guess we could go ‘King of Pennsylvania,’” he added with a smile, suddenly latching onto the newly fabricated stakes of this weekend’s preliminary card fixture. “Yeah — we’re fighting for (best middleweight) in Pennsylvania.”
While it’s always nice to add a little something fun into the mix heading into Fight Night in order to keep things light, it’s not as if Petroski is suffering from a shortage of motivation or focus heading into this one.
Saturday marks the former Ultimate Fighter competitor’s second appearance of the year, and things certainly didn’t work out as intended the first time around.
Thrilled to be competing close to home in Atlantic City against Jacob Malkoun at the end of March, Petroski had positive moments in the opening stanza, stinging and dropping the Australian at one point and running close to level through the initial five minutes. Early in the second, he looked to change levels, crashing forward in search of Malkoun’s hips, but he found them in the wrong way, catching his hip in the temple.
Dazed, he stumbled to the canvas, landing on knees and elbows, presenting Malkoun with a perfect opportunity to plant a thudding soccer kick into his midsection that hastened the stopping of the fight.
“Frustrating is the best word for it,” Petroski said when asked about the experience, his second straight defeat after collecting victories in each of his first five UFC starts. “I do think there are adjustments that I can make, for sure, like being more dangerous when I’m hurt, being more composed.
“I watch (Charles) Oliveira and (Fabricio) Werdum and those guys, when they would get cracked, are really good at catching submissions and being dangerous in that fight,” he continued, citing the Brazilian ex-champions as competitors to study and emulate when put in vulnerable situations inside the Octagon. “So I think that’s where — it’s frustrating, but I can take something from it.
“If there wasn’t anything I could take from it, that would be hard.”
Now more than three months removed from the setback, Petroski genuinely seems like he’s put the frustrating result behind him, shifting all his focus to Fremd and, more importantly, getting things moving in the right direction again this weekend.
“Champions have short memories,” he began when asked about the process of turning the frustrations into fuel and what’s already happened in the past where it belongs. “So we move on and
get the next one.”
That opportunity comes Saturday in Denver, where he will stand opposite the strapping Fremd, who similarly touches down looking to bounce back after a disappointing result in his most recent appearance.
After landing on the wrong side of the results in each of his first two promotional appearances, the 30-year-old Fremd logged quality wins over Sedriques Dumas and Jamie Pickett to kick off his 2023 campaign and bring his record level inside the Octagon. A month after his win over Pickett, the Factory X Muay Thai representative stepped up to face Roman Kopylov, replacing the injured Anthony Hernandez, and landing on the business end of a one-sided defeat culminating with a nasty straight shot to the liver.
But for Petroski, this one isn’t about the guy standing on the other side of the Octagon on Saturday night and what he brings to the table; it’s about himself, the tools and weapons he possesses, and finally delivering a complete effort on fight night.
“(The key to success this weekend) is putting it all together,” he said with a hint of angst in his voice, almost as if he was tired of offering incomplete glimpses of himself through his first seven UFC appearances. “Not just one round, not just seven minutes, but 15 minutes.
“A lot of the same stuff,” Petroski added, identifying the elements he believes will allow him to have the type of performance he’s expecting this weekend. “Working strategy with my coach, Eddy Torres, and coming up with the best game plan.”
And should it all come together as desired, Petroski will go back to Philly with a victory back at the top of his resume and state-wide bragging rights in tow, as well.
Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs Cortez, live from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on July 13, 2024. Prelims start at 7pm ET/4pm PT, while the main card kicks off at 10pm ET/7pm PT.