Andre Petroski explains why he wanted to fight Gerald Meerchaert at UFC 292, hopes to secure Bo Nickal scrap with a win

Andre Petroski admits it was difficult to withdraw from his fight in Newark back in May.

The fight in Newark was pretty much a hometown fight for Petroski, so having to withdraw was tough. However, he says it was required as he had a nagging injury that he needed to let rest and rehab.

“I knew that resting would be big because I was continuing to irritate it over and over whenever I trained. It would get inflamed and it wasn’t able to do anything,” Petroski said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Even like turning my steering wheel (would bug it). When I took time off and rehabbed it, it did get a lot better.”

Once Andre Petroski was able to take a fight he was offered Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 292 in Boston, which he was ecstatic for. It’s a chance to fight in front of fans again, and he gets to fight an opponent he has called out in the past.

“I’m very grateful, I feel very lucky that after pulling out of a fight due to an injury, after pulling out I was able to get a guy I asked for before,” Petroski said. “I feel really blessed I get a fight that I wanted, especially on the last fight on my contract before negotiations… I have a six-fight contract, this is my fifth fight, this is the fight before I renegotiate.”

Why Andre Petroski wanted to fight Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 292 was simple. Petroski claims he is the best grappler at middleweight and he wants to prove that by submitting Meerschaert.

Andre Petroski eyes Bo Nickal with a win

“The argument that I continue to make is I’m the best grappler in this division and I continue to prove that. Gerald has the most submissions in the division’s history. So beating him cements that, it makes my argument much stronger,” Petroski said.

With Petroski hoping to submit Meerschaert, he says he expects to hurt him on the feet and then get the submission victory.

“I think I touch him up on the feet early and force him to shoot and that’s my world,” Petroski said.

If Andre Petroski does get the submission win at UFC 292, he knows it would be a huge victory for him. He also hopes a win over Meerschaert secures him a top-15 opponent or a fight against Bo Nickal next.

“A new contract and guaranteed a guy in the top-15 or a Bo Nickal fight… If they want to build him up slowly, eventually (we will fight),” Petroski concluded. “So, if they want to give him another fight, so be it, but he can’t fight low-level guys forever. If he wants to have a successful career he will have to fight better guys for sure.”