UFC Vegas 94 was undoubtedly a far better card than many fans expected, and it was up to heavyweight hopeful Thomas Petersen to get the ball rolling.
Whilst the eyes of the combat sports world were fixed on Jake Paul versus Mike Perry in Tampa, Florida, the MMA community was enjoying a surprisingly solid Fight Night card from the Apex in Las Vegas.
Starting the night was a heavyweight matchup between Mohammed Usman, brother of former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, and a 29-year-old newcomer in the form of Thomas ‘The Train’ Petersen.
Thomas Petersen bounces back with impressive win at UFC Vegas 94
After going 6-1 in the LFA promotion, heavyweight prospect Thomas Petersen would secure his spot in the UFC after locking up a rare keylock submission on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2023.
Whilst his promotional debut earlier this year was certainly nothing to write home about, dropping a unanimous decision to Jamal Pogues, Petersen bounced back in a big way over the weekend as he dominated the ever-intimidating Mohammed Usman en route to his own UD victory.
Despite being a somewhat lackluster fight itself, Petersen showcased some impressive skills on the feet and more importantly, was able to maintain both his discipline and gameplan as he out-pointed Usman 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Heavyweight ‘Train’ Thomas Petersen calls out UFC legend Chael Sonnen
Following his decision win over the Nigerian juggernaut, Petersen chose not to call out another heavyweight prospect and instead, demanded to face MMA legend and UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen.
“I didn’t take one day off after I got done with my last fight, I was so disgusted with myself that I couldn’t sleep… I could do better, and I came here to do what I wanted to do – I’m excited for the future baby, I want to fight Chael Sonnen!”
Whilst Sonnen’s Good Guy/Bad Guy co-host Daniel Cormier opted not to ask why he requested his fellow MMA icon; Petersen would justify the callout at the post-fight press conference a few minutes later.
“I told these guys back there man, I want to fight Chael Sonnen, that’s who I want to fight but I’ll fight anybody,” he stated, before explaining that his ‘issue’ with the Bad Guy isn’t actually serious one, more of a jovial feud over an ignored DM several years ago.
“When I was young in my career, I took a loss and I reached out to the guys that I really looked up to, you know… These guys, they’re stars to kids like me, DC, Chael Sonnen, Henry Cejudo and I reached out to a few of these guys, but they didn’t get back to me.
“Chael Sonnen’s around my weight class, so I want to dance with him and tell him you know, tell him to stop being mean and give back to a kid… And I want to see how big his arms are.”
Petersen was laughing throughout his callout explanation but when questioned on whether he’d be at risk of giving up his neck to the legendary Sonnen, he simply noted: “He won’t get it, I’ll throw him on his head.”
Petersen is certainly a prospect that fans should keep an eye on, and after being asked when he’d like to make his UFC return, ‘The Train’ made a rather poignant comment on his ‘addiction’ to MMA.
“I got some dings and bruises, I got to get checked out and then I’ll be back and ready to go whenever, I love to fight, I love this game more than anything – except my family and my kids – but this game’s a drug.
“This game’s my coke, my crack, my heroin whatever you want to call it. We’re all crackheads out here.”
With the victory over Usman, Petersen now moves to 9-2 as a professional, with eight wins now coming by way of KO/TKO, one submission and one decision – that being his UFC Vegas 94 shutout.