Vitor Petrino heads into his fight with Dustin Jacoby this weekend on the main card of the UFC’s return to Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, in completely unfamiliar territory, as for the first time in his professional career, the promising Brazilian light heavyweight makes the walk to the Octagon coming off a loss.
“Nobody wants to lose, but unfortunately it's part of the game,” said Petrino, who was submitted by Anthony Smith in the early stages of their main card clash at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro back in May.
Entering with a pristine 11-0 mark that included four straight wins to begin his UFC tenure, the matchup was a major step up for the Cristiano Marcello protege and positioned as a bit of a crossroads moment for the two combatants.