After asking for a fight with Jon Jones' former rival, Vitor Petrino justifies the challenge: 'It's going to give me a big projection'

V. Petrino (left) defeated T. Pedro (right) at UFC Vegas 87 (Photo: Twitter/@ufcnews)

Trying to be seen among the light heavyweight elite (up to 93kg), the Brazilian Victor Petrino targeted a respected target for his next commitment: the former challenger Anthony Smith. In an interview after UFC Vegas 87, which took place last Saturday (02), the Brazilian athlete explained what motivated him to challenge the North American veteran but did not want to resort to disrespectful provocations.

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“Everyone was sending it to me on Instagram: 'You have to fight the Anthony Smith'. Then I thought: 'You know what? I want to fight this guy now.' People are teasing me too much. I know he's an experienced guy, he's already fought for the belt, he's had some great battles. A guy who is ranked and will give me a very big projection. And given his style, I believe it would be a very aggressive fight. If he agrees (to fight at UFC Rio) it would be really good. But I do not know. In his time, whenever he wants”, said Vitor.

Last Saturday (02), at UFC Vegas 87, Petrino dominated the Australian Tyson Peter and beat his rival in a unanimous decision by the judges. At just 26 years old, Vitor is undefeated in professional MMA with 11 consecutive victories, four of which wearing Ultimate gloves.