Despite being in extreme danger of getting stopped in the first, Thomas Petersen endured and battled back to a major, last-second finish of Gabriel Lorenco during the UFC Vegas 124 prelims.
Petersen looked to use his wrestling to pressure Lorenco from the beginning, landing one takedown early and trying to control the action there. Lorenco, however, battled back, making a more even battle against the fence.
The momentum changed when Lorenco landed a knee to what appeared to be a grounded Petersen. Petersen tried to fight back but was stunned by both a left hook and a right hand. Lorenco looked to land inside flurries, but Petersen managed to survive the round.
After Lorenco was warned for punches to the back of the head, Petersen started the second round with a left hand that immediately dropped Lorenco. Petersen survived a scramble, landing plenty of ground shots and threatening an Americana. Lorenco got the fight back to the feet, but the striking showed both men to be quite fatigued by this point.
Petersen found another takedown early in round three, and Lorenco was unable to find his way back to the feet. Petersen dominated with positioning and ground-and-pound, finding the finish with just 13 seconds left in the fight.
Petersen has consistently traded losses and wins since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. He entered this fight off a submission loss to Valter Walker in July.
