Tyson Pedro


Tyson Pedro is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

Pedro is an Australian of Spanish, American Samoa heritage.
He is the son of John Pedro, who owned King of the Cage in Australia and was one of exponent MMA and fighters fought in the first cage fight in Australia. With seven black belts of different combat sport style, Pedro was introduced to Japanese jiu-jitsu at the age of 4. From jujutsu, he progressed to boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu before eventually fighting MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

After winning over Kiwi Steven Warby at Australian Fighting Championship 17 via rear-naked choke, Pedro called UFC president Dana White and personally asked him to fight at in Melbourne, should any fighters pull out from the event. He was added to the card after Luke Rockhold withdrew from the event due to a sprained anterior cruciate ligament.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pedro made his promotional debut against Khalil Rountree on 15 November 2016 at. He won the fight via submission in round 1, for which he was awarded with a Performance of the Night bonus.
Pedro faced Paul Craig on 4 March 2017 at UFC 209. He won the bout via first round TKO.
Pedro fought Ilir Latifi on 9 September 2017 at UFC 215. Latifi won the fight via unanimous decision, handing Pedro his first professional loss.
Pedro faced Saparbek Safarov on 11 February 2018 at UFC 221, winning the match via submission due to a kimura hold in the first round.
Pedro faced Ovince Saint Preux on 23 June 2018 at. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.
On 10 August 2018, it was revealed that Pedro had signed a new, six-fight contract with the UFC.
Pedro faced Maurício Rua on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142. Rua defeating Pedro via technical knockout in round three, finishing Pedro with a flurry of strikes after Pedro suffered a leg injury and was unable to defend himself.
Pedro was sidelined for all of 2019 as he recovered from knee reconstruction surgery.
Pedro was scheduled to face Vinicius Moreira on 23 February 2020 at. However, Pedro pulled out of the fight in early January citing an undisclosed injury.

Personal life

Pedro is married to Rosie, and his father, John Pedro, is famous for bringing MMA to Australia.
Pedro's brother in law is UFC heavyweight fighter Tai Tuivasa.
Pedro is a fan of the Penrith Panthers, a professional Rugby league team in Australia.
As of December 2017, Pedro hosted "The Halfcast Podcast" with Tai Tuivasa as co-host.
He is named after former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts