Recovering Addict Andre Petroski Reveals UFC Dream Fueled by His Darkest Demons (Exclusive)

The MMA world is filled with stories of fighters overcoming their addictions to become feared in the Octagon. Matt Brown is the perfect example of how a fighter turned his life 180 degrees after being declared clinically dead because of an overdose. Jared Gordon is another example of a fighter who got addicted to prescribed painkillers, and later, got into the trap of h——. But later, he came back stronger following a rehab program and became a UFC contender. That’s what EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw wanted to talk about in an ES Exclusive interview with Andre Petroski. 

But first, Petroski addressed the greatest drug that a fighter can get high on. And that’s nothing but the high of winning. Petroski said, “Winning a UFC fight in front of 20,000 fans is better than any drug you could ever smoke, snort, shoot. It’s the best. And yeah. I could say that confidently. Winning is the best drug there is.” 

That’s when Whitelaw asked him about the opioid issues, which Brown, Gordon, and others overcame. He asked, “I feel like some of the most bad— dudes came through h——. Is there anything to that as a base for being great at MMA?” Well, getting out of the habit was nothing short of an achievement. And Petroski thought so as well. 

The UFC middleweight contender said during the Exclusive interview, “I just think, like whatever you want to call it, like an addictive personality, like you got a void, like there’s a fire inside of you, like… I have all that. But what makes us like terrible addicts, it also makes us like incredible athletes. Like that, the mindset, if you channel that mind into something productive, like we make some of the most special people in the world.” 

But coming out of an addiction wasn’t the only thing that guaranteed the high of a victory. What the fighters need is a big enough gas tank to make them go through the tedious rounds. Let’s hear what Petroski had to say about the cardio required for MMA bouts. 

Andre Petroski weighs in on the importance of cardio in MMA 

As the conversation continued, Whitelaw asked Petroski about the importance of good cardio. But when he compared the cardiovascular health needed for MMA with that for wrestling, the middleweight star stood up in disagreement. He said, “I wouldn’t even say it’s the best just because, like in wrestling, you get a break. Like, you go out of bounds, you know. The period is 3 minutes long at the most. And then you stop, you flip a coin, you choose who wants to go top and bottom. Like there’s breaks. Like a fight, there is rounds, but you know, for those 5 minutes, there is no breaks. There is no out of bounds. Like, for each round, there’s no breaks. And it’s 15 minutes rather than 6 or 7. So, it’s almost twice as long as a wrestling match.” 

He went on to make Whitelaw visualize a game of water polo, where the players had to stay afloat while competing to claim the win. He claimed, “It’s like they’re playing a game while they’re trying to stay afloat. You know what I mean? Like, I’m trying to tread water, and stay afloat, and continue to breathe, while I’m fighting someone.” 

And that’s how a fight felt. If there was anything that Petroski considered the hardest, it was getting tired. But if one can conquer his addictions, he can definitely push himself to train to expand his gas tank. With time and dedication, the fighters can learn how to go on for the entirety of the 15 minutes of war inside the MMA cage. 

Find out more from Petroski’s conversation with Andrew Whitelaw in our latest EssentiallySports Exclusive interview.

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