The Aussie fighter called his shot and delivered under the brightest lights for his Octagon debut back in 2016.
Tyson Pedro fought 11 times in the UFC before announcing his retirement in March of last year following a loss to Vitor Petrino.
When the 33-year-old stepped away from MMA, he instead went to boxing alongside the likes of Darren Till and Darren Stewart who will face each other on March 29.
Pedro has already found boxing success with an impressive debut in the ring and that initial impression can mean everything at the highest level.
Whilst some stars like Patricio Pitbull arrive in the UFC with hype surrounding their debuts, for most others, that’s their opportunity to announce themselves to the masses.
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Tyson Pedro recovered from an early knockdown to submit Khalil Rountree in Melbourne
After going 4-0 on the Australian scene, Tyson Pedro personally asked UFC president Dana White for a spot on the promotion’s return to Melbourne in November of 2016.
His wish was granted with a main card spot at the Rod Laver Arena against future 205-pound title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr.
Having won his previous three consecutive fights via a first-round submission, Pedro was able to keep this streak going in order to pocket a performance bonus.
The fight could’ve easily slipped away from him after Rountree, who had lost his UFC debut the previous July, dropped the Aussie with a huge straight left in the opening minute.
Pedro responded quickly and secured multiple takedowns before working to his opponent’s back, flattening him out and locking in the rear-naked choke to get the tap.
He went on to produce another first-round finish in his second UFC outing, stopping Paul Craig at UFC 209 the following March in Las Vegas before suffering his first loss against Ilir Latifi at UFC 215.
After some up and down periods in the UFC, his opponent on that night in Melbourne would go on to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title at UFC 307.
Following the ending of his five-fight win streak at the hands of ‘Poatan’ last October, Rountree is booked to face Jamahal Hill on April 26 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Tyson Pedro turned a corner in his career with his recent boxing debut
All six of Tyson Pedro’s UFC wins came in the first round but putting them together is something that he struggled with for multiple reasons.
In his boxing debut, the former UFC light heavyweight faced off with a fellow dangerous knockout artist and put on a dominant display before getting the finish in round 7.
Having had a bad run of luck since departing the UFC with multiple cancelled boxing matches, getting this win under his belt meant a lot and a clearly relieved Pedro reflected on that in a post-fight interview with Stan Sport.
“Everyone said I was crazy for leaving the UFC, so now to do it … I’m so proud of myself. I went through hell to get here, I’m pretty overwhelmed at the moment and I’ll probably go and cry up in the room in a minute.”