Steven Timothy Peterson (born May 29, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson currently competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). A professional competitor since 2010, Peterson has also competed for

Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

and the

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Peterson made his

debut on September 2, 2010 at Bellator 27 against Ernest de la Cruz, winning via unanimous decision. Peterson made his second and final appearance in Bellator on March 23, 2012 against Chris Jones at Bellator 62, losing via split decision. Peterson competed extensively in both Legacy FC and

, winning the Legacy FC

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...

title at Legacy FC 56 vs. Manny Vasquez via rear-naked choke. He lost a title unification bout at LFA 1 against

Leandro Higo Leandro Higo (born January 19, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy Fighting ...

via unanimous decision.

Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series

Peterson competed on Dana White's Contender Series 7 for a chance at a

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

contract on August 22, 2017 against Benito Lopez, losing via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Peterson made his UFC debut at

UFC Fight Night 126 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 126'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 18, 2018, at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, United State ...

on February 18, 2018 against Humberto Bandenay. However, due to a visa issue for Bandenay, he was replaced by

Brandon Davis Brandon Michael Davis (born May 8, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Davis began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 20, while at ...

. Peterson lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Peterson’s next bout was at The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale on July 6, 2018 against

Matt Bessette Matthew James Bessette (born December 28, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist currently competing in CES MMA where he is the reigning Featherweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for Bellat ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Peterson faced Luis Peña on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148. 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. Peterson lost the fight via unanimous decision. Peterson signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC after the fight. Peterson faced

Alex Caceres Alex Caceres (born June 20, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of the UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Caceres mostly competed in his regional circuit, before signing with the Ult ...

on July 20, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 4 UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 20, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Background The event ma ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Peterson faced Martín Bravo on September 21, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 17. Peterson won the fight by knockout via a spinning back fist in the second round. This win earn him the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. 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." Peterson was expected to face Aalon Cruz on February 29, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 169 ''UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 169'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 27'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 29, 2020 at Chartway Arena in ...

. However, Peterson was pulled from the event for an undisclosed reason, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Spike Carlyle. Peterson was scheduled to meet

Seung Woo Choi Choi Seung-woo ( ko, 최승우; born November 3, 1992), often anglicized Seung Woo Choi, is a Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). Choi was the former Top Fighting Championship Featherweight Champion (Two times) and 2010 Bronze medalist at Muay ...

on February 6, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 184 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 184'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 42'' and ''UFC Vegas 18'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 6, 2021 at the ...

. However, Peterson pulled out of the fight on January 15 due to an injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Collin Anglin. Peterson faced Chase Hooper on June 12, 2021 at

UFC 263 ''UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2021, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, United States. Background The event was the second ...

. 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. Peterson won the fight via unanimous decision. Peterson faced

Julian Erosa Julian Ricardo Dulican Erosa (born July 31, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Erosa is also a former CageSport Featherweight and Lightweight Champ ...

on February 5, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 200 ''UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 200'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 58'' and ''UFC Vegas 47'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 5, 20 ...

. 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. He lost the fight via split decision. 13 out of 18 media scores gave it to Erosa. 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. Peterson is expected to return on March 25, 2023 at

UFC on ESPN 43 ''UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 43'') is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on March 25, 2023, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, United ...

in San Antonio, Texas against Lucas Alexander.

Championships and achievements

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) *

MMAJunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Magazine'', ''The N ...

**2019 September Knockout of the Month vs. Martín Bravo

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 19–10 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–9 , Chase Hooper , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all deser ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–9 , Martín Bravo , KO (spinning back fist) , UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 , Luis Peña , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7 ,

, Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Dustin Winter , TKO (punches) , LFA 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:38 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 , Benito Lopez , Decision (split) , Dana White's Contender Series 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Ryan Hollis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LFA 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , LFA 1 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14-4 , Manny Vasquez , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Legacy FC 56 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:08 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13-4 ,

Irwin Rivera Irwing "Irwin" Armando Rivera (born February 14, 1989) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Eagle Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, Rivera has competed for Combate ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 46 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb of Dallas. According to the 2020 U.S. census its population was 104,627, up from 84,246 in 2010. Allen is located approximately twenty miles (32.2 km) nort ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12-4 , Caio Machado , Submission (guillotine choke) , Legacy FC 38 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Ray Rodriguez , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 33 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10-4 , Ray Rodriguez , TKO , Legacy FC 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, n/a ,

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Nelson Salas , TKO (punches) , Xtreme Knockout 19 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 , George Pacurariu , KO (punch) , Legacy FC 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:42 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

Matt Hobar Matthew Hobar (born January 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Hobar also formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Championship and Shark Fights. He is ...

, Decision (majority) , Legacy FC 16 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Cody Williams , Submission (omoplata) , Legacy FC 14 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:46 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 ,

, TKO (arm injury) , Legacy FC 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Chris Jones , Decision (split) , Bellator 62 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Steve Garcia , Submission (guillotine choke) , Legacy FC 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Alex Russ , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Xtreme Knockout 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Douglas Frey , Decision (majority) , Xtreme Knockout 10 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Quaint Kempf , Submission (armbar) , Xtreme Knockout 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Brad Mitchell , Decision (unanimous) , Xtreme Knockout 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ernest de la Cruz , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 27 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Marcus Dupar , Submission (armbar) , TCF: Puro Combate 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:26 , Houston, Texas, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Steven American male mixed martial artists 1990 births Living people Featherweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Texas Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American Muay Thai practitioners American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu