American mixed martial artist (born 1990)
Steven Timothy Peterson (born May 29, 1990)[ 2] is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson competed in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2010, Peterson has also competed for Bellator Fighting Championships and the Legacy Fighting Alliance .
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Peterson made his Bellator Fighting Championships debut on September 2, 2010 at Bellator 27 against Ernest de la Cruz,[ 3] winning via unanimous decision.[ 4]
Peterson made his second and final appearance in Bellator on March 23, 2012 against Chris Jones at Bellator 62 ,[ 5] losing via split decision.[ 6] Peterson competed extensively in both Legacy FC and Legacy Fighting Alliance , winning the Legacy FC Bantamweight title at Legacy FC 56 vs. Manny Vasquez via rear-naked choke.[ 7] He lost a title unification bout at LFA 1 against Leandro Higo via unanimous decision.[ 8]
Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series
Peterson competed on Dana White's Contender Series 7 for a chance at a UFC contract on August 22, 2017 against Benito Lopez , losing via split decision.[ 9]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Peterson was supposed to make his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 126 on February 18, 2018 against Humberto Bandenay . However, due to a visa issue for Bandenay, he was replaced by Brandon Davis .[ 10] Peterson lost the fight via unanimous decision.[ 11] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[ 12]
Peterson’s next bout was at The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale on July 6, 2018 against Matt Bessette .[ 13] He won the fight via split decision.[ 14]
Peterson faced Luis Peña on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148 .[ 15] At the weigh-ins, Peña weighed in at 148.5 lbs, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit of 146 lbs. Peña was fined 30% of his fight purse and the bout proceed at catchweight.[ 16] Peterson lost the fight via unanimous decision.[ 17] Peterson signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC after the fight.[ 18]
Peterson faced Alex Caceres on July 20, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 4 .[ 19] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[ 20]
Peterson faced Martín Bravo on September 21, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 17 .[ 21] Peterson won the fight by knockout via a spinning back fist in the second round.[ 22] This win earn him the Performance of the Night award.[ 23] Peterson said of his knockout, "I went to evade his spinning backfist and it just naturally came because I made the same step and it was right after I jabbed when he did it. The jab was the perfect setup. I was just in a flow state when I did it. Everything came natural when I landed that backfist."[ 24]
Peterson was expected to face Aalon Cruz on February 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 169 .[ 25] However, Peterson was pulled from the event for an undisclosed reason, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Spike Carlyle.[ 26]
Peterson was scheduled to meet Seung Woo Choi on February 6, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 184 .[ 27] However, Peterson pulled out of the fight on January 15 due to an injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Collin Anglin.[ 28]
Peterson faced Chase Hooper on June 12, 2021 at UFC 263 .[ 29] At the weigh-ins, Peterson weighed in at 148.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse, which went go to his opponent Hooper.[ 30] Peterson won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 31]
Peterson faced Julian Erosa on February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 200 .[ 32] At the weigh-ins, Peterson weighed in at 149 pounds, three pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceededed at catchweight and Peterson was fined 30% of his purse, which went to his opponent.[ 33] He lost the fight via split decision.[ 34] 13 out of 18 media scores gave it to Erosa.[ 35] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award, but Peterson was unable to collect the bonus due to his weight miss. As a result, his award was given to Erosa.[ 36]
Peterson faced Lucas Alexander on March 25, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 43 .[ 37] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and announced his retirement after his fight.[ 38]
Championships and achievements
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
30 matches
19 wins
11 losses
By knockout
5
1
By submission
8
0
By decision
6
10
Res.
Record
Opponent
Method
Event
Date
Round
Time
Location
Notes
Loss
19–11
Lucas Alexander
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen
March 25, 2023
3
5:00
San Antonio, Texas , United States
Loss
19–10
Julian Erosa
Decision (split)
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland
February 5, 2022
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Catchweight (149 lb) bout; Peterson missed weight. Fight of the Night
Win
19–9
Chase Hooper
Decision (unanimous)
UFC 263
June 12, 2021
3
5:00
Glendale, Arizona , United States
Catchweight (148.5 lb) bout; Peterson missed weight.
Win
18–9
Martín Bravo
KO (spinning back fist)
UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens
September 21, 2019
2
1:31
Mexico City , Mexico
Performance of the Night.
Loss
17–9
Alex Caceres
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards
July 20, 2019
3
5:00
San Antonio, Texas , United States
Loss
17–8
Luis Peña
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis
March 23, 2019
3
5:00
Nashville, Tennessee , United States
Catchweight (148.5 lb) bout; Peña missed weight.
Win
17–7
Matt Bessette
Decision (split)
The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale
July 6, 2018
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Loss
16–7
Brandon Davis
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros
February 18, 2018
3
5:00
Austin, Texas , United States
Fight of the Night.
Win
16–6
Dustin Winter
TKO (punches)
LFA 28
December 8, 2017
2
2:38
Dallas, Texas , United States
Return to Featherweight.
Loss
15–6
Benito Lopez
Decision (split)
Dana White's Contender Series 7
August 22, 2017
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
15–5
Ryan Hollis
Submission (rear-naked choke)
LFA 16
July 14, 2017
2
1:43
Dallas, Texas , United States
Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Loss
14–5
Leandro Higo
Decision (unanimous)
LFA 1
January 13, 2017
5
5:00
Dallas, Texas , United States
For the inaugural LFA Bantamweight Championship .
Win
14–4
Manny Vasquez
Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)
Legacy FC 56
June 24, 2016
4
3:08
Dallas, Texas , United States
Won the Legacy FC Bantamweight Championship.
Win
13–4
Irwin Rivera
Decision (unanimous)
Legacy FC 46
October 2, 2015
3
5:00
Allen, Texas , United States
Win
12–4
Caio Machado
Submission (guillotine choke)
Legacy FC 38
February 13, 2015
1
3:55
Allen, Texas , United States
Win
11–4
Ray Rodriguez
Decision (unanimous)
Legacy FC 33
July 18, 2014
3
5:00
Allen, Texas , United States
Featherweight bout.
Win
10–4
Ray Rodriguez
TKO
Legacy FC 28
February 21, 2014
2
n/a
Arlington, Texas , United States
Featherweight bout.
Win
9–4
Nelson Salas
TKO (punches)
Xtreme Knockout 19
August 17, 2013
4
1:58
Dallas, Texas , United States
Won the XKO Bantamweight Championship.
Loss
8–4
George Pacurariu
KO (punch)
Legacy FC 19
April 12, 2013
1
3:42
Dallas, Texas , United States
Loss
8–3
Matt Hobar
Decision (majority)
Legacy FC 16
December 14, 2012
3
5:00
Dallas, Texas , United States
Win
8–2
Cody Williams
Submission (omoplata)
Legacy FC 14
September 14, 2012
2
4:46
Houston, Texas , United States
Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Win
7–2
Matt Hobar
TKO (arm injury)
Legacy FC 13
August 17, 2012
1
4:04
Dallas, Texas , United States
Return to Bantamweight.
Loss
6–2
Chris Jones
Decision (split)
Bellator 62
March 23, 2012
3
5:00
Laredo, Texas , United States
Featherweight bout.
Win
6–1
Steve Garcia
Submission (guillotine choke)
Legacy FC 8
September 16, 2011
1
1:40
Houston, Texas , United States
Bantamweight bout.
Win
5–1
Alex Russ
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Xtreme Knockout 11
July 23, 2011
1
1:57
Arlington, Texas , United States
Win
4–1
Douglas Frey
Decision (majority)
Xtreme Knockout 10
April 9, 2011
4
1:11
Arlington, Texas , United States
Win
3–1
Quaint Kempf
Submission (armbar)
Xtreme Knockout 9
January 29, 2011
1
0:24
Arlington, Texas , United States
Loss
2–1
Brad Mitchell
Decision (unanimous)
Xtreme Knockout 8
October 9, 2010
3
3:00
Arlington, Texas , United States
Win
2–0
Ernest de la Cruz
Decision (unanimous)
Bellator 27
September 2, 2010
3
3:00
San Antonio, Texas , United States
Featherweight bout.
Win
1–0
Marcus Dupar
Submission (armbar)
TCF: Puro Combate 1
August 4, 2010
3
2:26
Houston, Texas , United States
[ 41]
See also
References
^ a b "FORTIS - Team Fortis" . fortismma.com . Fortis MMA. Retrieved September 22, 2019 .
^ “TUF FINALE” MIXED MARTIAL ARTS SHOW RESULTS DATE: July 6, 2018
^ "Bellator 27 main card set with four bouts, prelims feature six bouts (Updated)" . MMAjunkie . 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ "Steven Peterson def. Ernest de la Cruz:: Bellator 27:: MMA Decisions" . mmadecisions.com . Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ "Bellator 62 prelim fights include notables Cosmo Alexander, Rad Martinez" . MMAjunkie . 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ "Bellator 62 Results: Lightweights Advance; Prindle Wins Title Shot Without a Fight | MMAWeekly.com" . Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos . Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ "Steven Peterson Captures Legacy Bantamweight Title" . Sherdog.com . Retrieved 2018-08-24 .
^ "Leandro Higo Captures LFA Bantamweight Title" . Sherdog.com . Retrieved 2018-08-24 .
^ "LIVE! 'Contender Series' 7 Results, Play-By-Play Updates" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ "Due to Humberto Bandenay's visa issues, Brandon Davis steps in at UFC-Austin" . MMAjunkie . 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ Quiles, Fernando Jr. (2018-02-19). "Brandon Davis Outguns Steven Peterson In Austin" . LowKickMMA.com . Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ "UFC Fight Night 126 bonuses: Brandon Davis, Steven Peterson get $50,000 for slugfest" . MMAjunkie . 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-11-15 .
^ Staff (2018-05-04). "Matt Bessette vs. Steven Peterson added to The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale in Las Vegas" . mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04 .
^ "TUF 27 Finale results: Steven Peterson wins split decision from Matt Bessette with tenacity" . MMAjunkie . 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-07-07 .
^ Marcel Dorff (2019-02-11). "Steven Peterson meets Violent Bob Ross at UFC Nashville" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2019-02-11 .
^ Mike Bohn (2019-03-22). "Canadian John Makdessi gets new opponent for UFC card in Nashville" . mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22 .
^ "UFC Nashville results: Luis Pena outworks a durable Steven Peterson over three rounds" . MMA Junkie . 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2019-03-24 .
^ Cole Shelton (July 15, 2019). "Steven Peterson Received New UFC Deal After Accepting Bout vs. Overweight Luis Pena" . sherdog.com.
^ Lee, Alexander K. (2019-05-16). "UFC San Antonio bouts announced, including Liz Carmouche vs. Roxanne Modafferi, Aleksei Oleinik vs. Walt Harris" . MMA Fighting . Retrieved 2019-05-17 .
^ Harshman, Heath (2019-07-20). "UFC San Antonio Results: Alex Caceres Sticks and Moves His Way to Win Over Steven Peterson" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2019-07-21 .
^ "Martín Bravo se agrega a UFC México" . www.milenio.com . 8 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-03 .
^ "Nearly simultaneous spinning backfists gave us a brutally spectacular KO at UFC on ESPN+ 17" . MMA Junkie . 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2019-09-22 .
^ a b Fernando Quiles Jr. (2019-09-22). "UFC Mexico City Bonuses & Attendance Revealed" . Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews . Retrieved 2019-09-22 .
^ "Steven Peterson: Highlight Finish from Mexico City" . 25 September 2019.
^ Frankenberry, Jamie (2019-12-19). "UFC begins to fill card for visit to Norfolk in February" . pilotonline.com . Retrieved 2019-12-20 .
^ "Spike Carlyle makes debut on short notice against Aalon Cruz during UFC Norfolk" . 6 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-07 .
^ DNA, MMA (2020-11-25). "Seung Woo Choi treft Steven Peterson op 6 februari" . MMA DNA . Retrieved 2020-11-26 .
^ Lee Seok-moo (2021-01-15). " '스팅' 최승우, 2021년 UFC 한국선수 첫 출격...2연승 도전" ['Sting' Choi Seung-woo, the first Korean UFC fighter in 2021... 2 consecutive wins]. edaily.co.kr. Retrieved 2021-01-15 . (in Korean)
^ DNA, MMA (2021-04-27). "Chase Hooper vs. Steven Peterson toegevoegd aan UFC 263 op 12 juni" . MMA DNA . Retrieved 2021-04-27 .
^ Alexander K. Lee (2021-06-11). "UFC 263 weigh-in results: Deiveson Figueiredo makes weight at last minute for flyweight championship bout" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-06-11 .
^ Evanoff, Josh (2021-06-12). "UFC 263 Results: Steven Peterson Dominates Chase Hooper" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2021-06-13 .
^ DNA, MMA (2021-10-08). "BREAKING: Steven Peterson treft Julian Erosa tijdens UFC evenement op 5 februari" . MMA DNA . Retrieved 2021-10-09 .
^ Staff (2022-02-04). "UFC Vegas 47 weigh-in video" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04 .
^ Evanoff, Josh (2022-02-05). "UFC Vegas 47: Julian Erosa Edges Out Steven Peterson In Action-Packed Thriller" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2022-02-06 .
^ "Julian Erosa def. Steven Peterson :: UFC on ESPN+ 58 :: MMA Decisions" . www.mmadecisions.com . Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-16 .
^ a b Wells, Matthew (2022-02-06). "UFC Fight Night 200 bonuses: Julian Erosa pockets $100k for Fight of the Night" . MMA Junkie . Retrieved 2022-02-06 .
^ Dylan Rush (2023-01-13). "Steven Peterson Set to Return at UFC San Antonio Against Lucas Alexander" . cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13 .
^ Val Dewar (2023-03-25). "UFC San Antonio: Lucas Alexander outpoints retiring Steven Peterson" . Cageside Press . Retrieved 2023-03-25 .
^ Wells, Matthew (2022-02-06). "UFC Fight Night 200 bonuses: Julian Erosa pockets $100k for Fight of the Night" . MMA Junkie . Retrieved 2022-02-06 .
^ "MMA Junkie's 'Knockout of the Month' for September: Simultaneous spinning backfists" . mmajunkie.com. October 1, 2019.
^ Sherdog.com. "Steven" . Sherdog . Retrieved 2019-03-23 .
External links