EXCLUSIVE | Steven Peterson out to prove he’s more violent than Luis Pena

At UFC Nashville, fan favorite Luis Pena will be moving down from 155lbs to 145lbs to take on Steven Peterson.

‘Violent Bob Ross’ was already a big 155’er, and Peterson thinks the weight cut will be a mistake for Pena.

“He is going to run into a hard time fighting me at featherweight,” Peterson said to BJPENN.com. “I believe he will be the tallest featherweight in the division but with that comes losing a lot of strength. He is already skinny for 155 as it is, dropping an extra 10 pounds, I can’t imagine what that will do to him strength wise and endurance wise.”

Although it will be Pena’s first fight in the featherweight division, Peterson knows a win over him can make him a bigger name.

“As far as in the standings, he hasn’t really accomplished much other than being on The Ultimate Fighter,” Peterson explained. “I have been fighting for 10 years, LFA champ, XKO champ. I have accomplished more but he has a bigger fan base due to the show and due to him looking like Bob Ross.”

The fight is now less than a day away, but Peterson has been preparing for this task for months. He believes he will play the spoiler. A reason why is the fact that Peterson believes no matter where the fight goes he is confident in his abilities.

“My whole career I have trained to be well-rounded,” he said. “If I am fighting a striker I can always take them down and have the advantage on the ground. It is always good to be comfortable everywhere but have an advantage somewhere so I can take the fight where I have the advantage.”

Peterson is ready to get back into the Octagon. He is more than confident he has what it takes to beat Pena, and expects to earn a finish.

“I see it ending violently, not in his favor,” Peterson explained. “They call him ‘Violent Bob Ross’ but I am definitely the more violent one than him. I plan on showing that for sure.”

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/22/2019.