UFC middleweight Andre Petroski avoided surgery for a shoulder injury and is ready to make his return to the octagon in August.
Petroski (9-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was set to make his first appearance of the year in May in a showdown against Armen Petrosyan, but was sidelined due to injury. Building upon the momentum from a unanimous decision win over Wellington Turman at UFC 281 would have to wait, but luckily, he was able to avoid going under the knife.
“I had a tear in my shoulder, my rotator cuff,” Petroski told MMA Junkie Radio. “It was less than 50 percent width, so it didn’t require surgery. The UFC helped me out a lot. They got me set up with stem cells and PRP, and all that recovery stuff.
“I took like two months off from training, and it got better. I did a lot of rehab for it, but knock on wood, luckily so far it hasn’t been re-irritated in this camp.”
Petroski, 32, makes his return to action Aug. 19 at UFC 292 to take on Gerald Meerschaert (35-16 MMA, 10-8 UFC). He’s been cautious during fight camp to avoid any setbacks, plus he knows the shoulder will be tested due to his opponent’s grappling-heavy approach. However, Petroski is no slouch on the mat, as a fighter who regularly competes in grappling competitions under the Fury Pro Grappling banner against other UFC fighters.
“We’re going to do it all, man,” Petroski said. “Even in my last fight, I spent significantly more time in the stand up. I think that I’m going to force him to shoot on me, which is going to be in my favor, for sure.”
Check out the full interview with Petroski in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
