“Happy to be back in the finish column,” Andre Petroski told reporters during the post-fight press conference for UFC Vegas 124. The remark reflected his satisfaction. The fight against Mantas Kondratavicius is his last with the UFC, and departing with a stoppage win years after his previous finish couldn’t have come at a better time for Petroski.

“All pressure from Petroski 👏,” the post from UFC Paramount read. ” Andre Petroski earns the R2 TKO tonight!”

The post followed the middleweight bout between Petroski and Kondratavicius on the preliminary card of the Fight Night event.

The opening round saw Kondratavicius attempt to establish an advantage through aggressive striking, but Petroski quickly shifted the contest to the mat with an effective takedown. Once there, he maintained control and delivered consistent attacks, limiting Kondratavicious’ ability to respond.

In the second round, Kondratavicious showed improved confidence on the feet, connecting with powerful strikes and putting Petroski under pressure. However, Petroski once again relied on his wrestling ability to bring the fight to the ground.

From that position, he unleashed a sustained series of punches, leaving Kondratavicius unable to mount an effective defense. Petroski’s relentless ground attack eventually forced the referee to intervene, sealing an impressive stoppage victory late in the second round.

Petroski was initially scheduled to face Azamat Bekoev on October 31, but the bout was cancelled after the Russian fighter withdrew due to a medical emergency.

The win marked an important moment in Petroski’s career.

Since June 2025, he has been on a three-fight losing streak. After dropping a decision to Edmen Shahbazyan on June 14, Petroski suffered a first-round stoppage loss to Cam Rowston on September 27. His fortunes remained unchanged when he returned on May 16, 2026, to face Cody Brundage, losing the bout via second-round stoppage.

Notably, this was Petroski’s first stoppage win in the UFC in four years.

A long-awaited first for Andre Petroski

On May 14, 2022, Petroski stopped Nick Maximov in the first round of their bout at UFC Vegas 54.

However, the two victories came in very different ways.

Petroski’s win over Kondratovich and Maximov showcased his grappling ability but highlighted different finishing approaches. Against Maximov, Petroski needed just 76 seconds to secure an anaconda choke and earn a technical submission.

His more recent performance required greater patience, as Kondratavicius initially posed problems with his striking. Petroski eventually gained control through his wrestling and finished the contest with repeated ground strikes at 4:39 of the second round.

Records show that, apart from his loss to Aaron Jeffery at LFA 93, Petroski had earned a decision victory over Wellington Turman at UFC 281.

Petroski is not the only UFC fighter to have gone through an extended period without a stoppage win before returning to the finish column.

Carla Esparza endured a gap of approximately six years and five months between her submission win over Rosde Namajuna in 2014 and her TKO triumph against Yan Xiaonan in May 2021.

Michael Bisping provides another notable example, ending a prolonged finishing drought by knocking out Luke Rockhold in June 2016 to capture the middleweight championship.