With his 13-4 record, Andre Petroski is ready to step into the State Farm Arena against 14-5 Edmen Shahbazyan. Petroski finds himself on a six-fight main card that sees Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley square off in the main event. Petroski has been dominant in his last few fights, all dating back to when he was discovered on Season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Andre Petroski Began Wrestling During High School in Pennsylvania
Born on June 12, 1991, Petroski will enter the Octagon on June 14 just two days after he turned 34-years-old. He’ll have a seven year advantage on his opponent, Shahbazyan, even though “The Golden Boy” already has two more professional fights to his name. Petroski didn’t begin his career as an MMA fighter, but it’s something he transitioned into after a successful wrestling career.
#UFCAtlanta
Andre Petroski +170 (2U)Petroski is the exact type of matchup that will give Shahbazyan trouble. He has a really high fight IQ and will do whatever it takes to win. He will use his grappling advantage to wrestle Edmen early and often and has the gas tank to do this… pic.twitter.com/uKfGOGfy5f
— MMA_Maniac (@maniacbetsmma) June 9, 2025
After qualifying for state three times at Springfield High School, Petroski began training in BJJ, Muay Thai, and striking during college. He attended three colleges: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Having embraced his PA heritage, Petroski prepared himself for a world in mixed martial arts when he graduated from college.
Besides wrestling in the Olympics, there isn’t necessarily a higher ceiling for wrestlers coming out of college. Petroski knew that he needed to make a change, and his other trainings during college helped prepare him for the transition to MMA. Having crushed the competition at the amateur level, Petroski made his professional debut on October 5, 2018.
It should be no surprise that his father, Guy Petroski, was a former wrestler at Penn State. Wrestling runs in the family, even though his father never switched to MMA. Guy is married to Nancilynn, who is the mother of Andre Petroski.
Petroski does have a daughter, one whom he keeps close to him. The soon-to-be 34-year-old is married to Nicholette Olson, the mother of their daughter, Rylee. Most family details are kept private, which is respectable and very hard to do for a professional athlete with how prominent social media is here in 2025.
Riding a three-fight winning streak, eight of Petroski’s 13 wins have come via stoppage. While his last three were all via unanimous decision, Shahbazyan is no stranger to finishing a fight. In his 19-fight career, 17 of those have ended by either knockout or submission. He hasn’t seen a decision since his loss to Jack Hermansson on May 22, 2021. Keep in mind, both Petroski and Shahbazyan fought back on Feb. 15, 2025.