5 Defining Moments: Tyson Pedro

Tyson Pedro was once thought of as a can’t-miss prospect, but injuries and inconsistency have quieted much of the hoopla surrounding him.

The 31-year-old Australian light heavyweight will look to improve upon a 5-4 record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he meets Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Anton Turkalj in a featured UFC 293 attraction on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Pedro has lost four times in seven appearances since starting a perfect 6-0 as a pro. He last completed at UFC 284, where he dropped a unanimous decision to former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Modestas Bukauskas on Feb. 11.

As Pedro approaches his forthcoming battle with Turkalj at 205 pounds, a look at five of the moments that have come to define his career to this point:

1. Pressure Cooker

Pedro wowed the crowd and pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus in his promotional debut when he dispatched “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist Khalil Rountree with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 101 light heavyweight showcase on Nov. 26, 2016 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The unbeaten newcomer brought it to a close 4:07 into Round 1. Rountree sat down the Australian with a crushing left hand inside the first minute but conceded a takedown soon after and never again returned to an upright position. Pedro climbed to full mount before he settled on the Syndicate MMA rep’s back, flattened him out and secured the fight-ending choke. Rountree had no choice but to tap, as the nearly 14,000 fans in attendance roared their approval.

2. No One-Trick Pony

The unbeaten Pedro put away former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Paul Craig with a violent volley of first-round elbows as part of the UFC 209 undercard on March 4, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Craig bowed out 4:10 into Round 1. Pedro lured the Scotsman into the clinch and blasted him with standing elbow strikes to the head and knees to the body. The Lions High Performance Centre product later floored Craig with a straight right hand and capitalized on a failed head-and-arm throw. Pedro quickly advanced to half guard once they hit the canvas, moved to a topside crucifix and smashed the “Bearjew” with elbows until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.

3. Checked Aggression

The crafty and experienced Ovince St. Preux became the first man to finish Pedro when he took out the highly regarded Australian prospect with a straight armbar in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 132 co-main event on June 23, 2018 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The end came 2:54 into Round 1. Pedro dominated much of the encounter, as he followed a clean head kick with a straight right that sat down the former University of Tennessee linebacker near the base of the fence, then threatened with a standing guillotine choke. St. Preux eventually recovered, denied repeated takedown attempts and powered into top position. From there, he fed Pedro some ground-and-pound, progressed to side control and isolated the Aussie’s right arm with a figure-four grip. Once the elbow bent beyond its bounds, the tapout followed.

4. Overshadowed by an Icon

Mauricio Rua survived several tense moments to stop Pedro with punches in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 142 co-headliner on Dec. 1, 2018 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia. The 2005 Pride Fighting Championships grand prix winner and former UFC light heavyweight champion drew the curtain 43 seconds into Round 3. An inadvertent clash of heads in the first round put Rua on rubbery legs. Pedro capitalized with an opportunistic volley, as he unleashed a barrage of punches and knees that had the Brazilian on the verge of collapse. Somehow, “Shogun” withstood the onslaught. He turned to takedowns and top control in the second round—a risk-averse tactic that offered him further time to recover. Pedro appeared to suffer a leg injury early in the third, hit the deck after Rua clobbered him with an overhand right and offered no intelligent defense on the ground, where he ate a burst of punches and hammerfists before referee Steve Perceval elected to intervene.

5. Capabilities Intact

Pedro made a triumphant return from a three-year layoff when he wrecked Isaac Villanueva with a leg kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 205 light heavyweight prelim on April 23, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Referee Mark Smith waved it off 4:55 into Round 1. Reconstructive knee surgery and various other injuries had kept Pedro on the sidelines for 1,239 days, and it took him some time to get in gear. He tested his luck with pawing jabs and kicks to the inside and outside of Villanueva’s lead leg, forcing the former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder onto his back foot. A low blow from Pedro dropped the Texan to his knees and resulted in a 90-second pause to the action. Once it resumed, the Aussie zeroed in on the lower extremities. Villanueva hit the deck after absorbing one too many kicks and retreated to a seated position at the base of the cage, opening the door for his opponent. Pedro pounced with quick burst of unanswered right hands and prompted the stoppage.