Gevorg "Giorgio" Petrosyan (Armenian: Գևորգ Պետրոսյան; born December 10, 1985) is an Armenian-bornItaliankickboxer who competes in the middleweight division. He is nicknamed "The Doctor" and noted for his supreme technical skills, ringsmanship and defensive prowess which has seen him defeat some of the best strikers in the world while taking little-to-no damage.[1][2] As of September 2022, he is ranked the #5 lightweight and #6 pound-for-pound kickboxer in the world by Combat Press,[3] and is widely regarded as one of the greatest kickboxers of all time.[4][5][6][7] As of October 12, 2023, he is ranked #5 in the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing rankings.[8]
After immigrating to Italy from Armenia at thirteen years old, Petrosyan began his professional career as a Muay Thai fighter at sixteen, starting out as a -54 kg/119 lbbantamweight before moving up through the weight classes and settling at the -70 kg/154 lb middleweight division, taking numerous titles along the way. Following a decision loss to Nonthanan Por. Pramuk at Lumpinee Stadium in January 2007, he went on a six-year, forty-two fight undefeated streak considered to be one of the most dominant reigns in the history of the sport which was eventually ended by Andy Ristie at Glory 12: New York in November 2013.
His switch to kickboxing rules and subsequent ascent began in 2008 when he began competing for It's Showtime and K-1, and he established himself as the world's top middleweight with two consecutive K-1 World MAX World Championship Tournament Championships in 2009 and 2010. He then joined Glory in 2012 following It's Showtime and K-1's demise and further cemented his place as the elite -70 kg/154 lb kickboxer by winning the Glory 2012 Lightweight Slam tournament.
Early life
Born in Yerevan, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union (now Armenia) on December 10, 1985, as Gevorg Petrosyan, he emigrated to Italy at the age of thirteen with his father, Andranik, and older brother, Stepan, arriving illegally in the country in the back of a truck. They initially lived homeless in Milan, sleeping in train stations and on the streets, but were later taken in by a family in Gorizia who offered them work as night watchmen at their factory. After settling in Italy, he was soon joined by his mother, Karine, sister, Lianna, and younger brother, Armen, who is also a world champion kickboxer.[9]
Inspired by Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme martial arts films, Petrosyan decided to begin training in Muay Thai at fourteen years old but was initially turned away from the gym for being too small.[10] He persisted, however, and eventually started his training under Alfio Romanut at the Satori Gladiatorium Nemesis gym and had his first fight at the age of sixteen.[11][12] He continues to reside in Gorizia in Northern Italy and worked as a bricklayer early in his career.[13]
Career
Muay Thai beginnings and early career (2002–2006)
Giorgio Petrosyan started his career as a -54 kg/119 lb bantamweight at the age of sixteen and defeated a local Italian fighter in his February 2002 debut, breaking his toes while doing so.[10] He turned professional shortly after and would compete almost exclusively under Muay Thai rules for the next five years. In his first title fight on November 9, 2003, he scored a third round knockout over Gionata Zarbo to be crowned the Muay Thai Association (MTA) Italian national champion. Steadily moving up in weight and competition level, he captured the MTA European -65 kg/143 lb Championship by outpointingFabio Pinca in 2004 before making his only successful defence of the belt in February 2005 with another points win over Shemsi Beqiri in his home town of Gorizia. He fought to a draw with three-time Lumpinee Stadium champion Pinsinchai in Bologna, Italy on April 10, 2005, but soon returned to the win column and defeated Olivier Tchétché by second round technical knockout in a WMC Intercontinental Welterweight (-66.7 kg/147 lb) Championship match in Nova Gorica, Slovenia on June 25, 2005.[14]
Petrosyan then made the journey to Thailand to train, visiting the WMC Samui Gym in Ko Samui and Tor. Silachai in Nakhon Ratchasima. He stopped Thai fighter Petch with a low kick in round three at Phetch Buncha Samui Stadium in Ko Samui in February 2006 before returning to Italy to compete in the Italian Extreme IV four-man tournament in Modena on April 1, 2006, which he ran through, finishing both opponents in the first round. He floored Richard Barnhill with a left hook before putting him away with a low kick in the semi-finals and gave an almost identical performance in the final when he dispatched Roel Rink with a leg kick shortly after knocking him down with a right hook. This also marked the third consecutive fight in which Petrosyan had stopped opponents with low kicks. He became a world champion for the first time on June 10, 2006, by knocking out Benito Caupain with a first round high kick to win the vacant Kombat League World -66.7 kg/147 lb Muay Thai Championship in Nova Gorica. He would go on to successfully defend this title three times before the end of the year; TKOing Johnny Tancray in round four in Sardinia, Italy on August 5, KOing Frankie Hudders in round two in Pordenone, Italy on September 5 and winning a unanimous decision over Imro Main in Enschede, Netherlands on November 19.[15]
Moving up to middleweight, Petrosyan marked his arrival in the weight class that he would go on to dominate by winning the eight-man 72 kg/158 lb tournament at Janus Fight Night 2006 in Padua, Italy, on December 2, 2006. He took a unanimous decision win against Cédric Muller in the quarter-finals and TKO'd Frane Radnić in the semis, knocking him down twice in round one with a left cross to the solar plexus, before beating Marco Piqué via another unanimous decision in the final.[16][17]
First defeat and subsequent kickboxing breakthrough (2007–2008)
Petrosyan fought at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand for the first time on January 23, 2007, where he was also handed the first loss of his career, dropping a decision to Nonthanan Por. Pramuk. In an interview, Petrosyan said the promoters required him to drink an extra two litres of water after he weighed in at 70 kg, two kilograms below the agreed upon weight of 72 kg. The drink given to Petrosyan caused him to have stomach cramps and made it very difficult for him to fight, though he decided to go through with it anyway. After the bout, Nonthanan retired, quickly ending the possibility of a rematch.[18]
He was able to bounce back from this loss by recording back-to-back wins, a third-round TKO of Sadio Cissoko on March 17, 2007, and a unanimous decision over Arslan Magomedov on April 14, 2007, at K-1 Italy Oktagon 2007, both fights taking place in Milan, Italy.[19] From there, he was offered the biggest fight of his career at that point when he replaced John Wayne Parr, who withdrew after injuring his ribs training with Nathan Corbett, to challenge Buakaw Por. Pramuk for his WMC World Junior Middleweight (-69.8 kg/154 lb) Championship at K-1 Fighting Network Scandinavian Qualification 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden on May 19, 2007.[20] After five rounds, the fight was ruled a split draw and, consequently, Buakaw retained his title.[21]
Petrosyan then went on to defeat Abdallah Mabel twice within two months in his next couple of fights, decisioning him in Padua on May 26, 2007, and then TKOing him in Trieste on July 27, 2007. After a first-round knockout of Behrouz Rastagar in Arnhem, Netherlands on October 13, 2007, he entered the Janus Fight Night 2007 -72 kg/158 lb tournament (the event he had won a year previously) on November 24, 2007. In the quarter-finals, he beat José Reis by unanimous decision. Then, in the semis, he met Abdallah Mabel for the third time in six months and bested the Frenchman once again, winning another unanimous decision. In the final, Petrosyan defeated another familiar opponent by unanimous decision, Marco Piqué, who he had also faced in the final the previous year.[22]
Following a brief return to the Muay Thai scene with wins over Çağrı Ermiş in Tilburg, Netherlands, on May 24, 2008, and Rafik Bakkouri in Abano Terme, Italy, on June 28, 2008,[25] Petrosyan did not fight again until November when he took to the ring twice within three weeks. On November 8, he beat Naruepol Fairtex by unanimous decision at Janus Fight Night: The Legend. Then, on November 29, he took another decision over Warren Stevelmans at It's Showtime 2008 Eindhoven.[26]
Consecutive K-1 World MAX Tournament Championships (2009–2010)
Petrosyan took the World Kickboxing Network (WKN) Intercontinental Welterweight (-69.9 kg/154 lb) Oriental Championship on January 31, 2009, when he stopped David Javakhia with a liver kick inside the opening stanza in Turin, Italy. On March 14, 2009, at Oktagon presents: It's Showtime 2009 in Milan, he scored his first win over a truly elite fighter, taking a points victory against Andy Souwer. Using just about everything in his arsenal to keep Andy Souwer off-balance and out of his range, Petrosyan was seemingly in control of the exchanges. However, the fight got dramatic when the judges unexpectedly ruled it a draw after three rounds, sending the fight into an extension round to decide the winner. Things got even more heated when Souwer was dropped by a punch in the extension round and referee Joop Ubeda declined to give him a count. In the end, the judges saw things the way of Petrosyan and gave him the unanimous decision, in what was considered a major upset.[27][28]
Sporting an impressive 53-1-2 record and now holding a victory over a two-time K-1 MAX champion in Souwer, Petrosyan was invited to compete in the annual K-1 World MAX Tournament for the first time. At the tournament's opening round at the K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament Final 16 in Fukuoka, Japan on April 21, 2009, he controlled Dzhabar Askerov for two rounds before putting him away with a knee to the midsection in three.[29][30]
Following a unanimous decision win against Faldir Chahbari at It's Showtime 2009 Amsterdam on May 16, 2009, Petrosyan faced another one-time K-1 MAX champion in the form of Albert Kraus in the tournament's quarter-final stage at the K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament Final 8 in Tokyo, Japan on July 13, 2009. Petrosyan defeated him soundly, winning a unanimous decision and qualifying for the round of four three months later. On October 26, 2009, at the K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament Final in Yokohama, Japan, he defeated Yuya Yamamoto in the semi-finals but suffered a broken hand in the process. In round one, he dropped Yamamoto with a left hook, but the Japanese fighter was able to return to his feet following the referee's count. He was still visibly hurt, however, and Petrosyan swarmed to knock him out with a right hook seconds later. Advancing to the final despite his hand injury, he met Andy Souwer for the second time. Petrosyan dominated all three rounds, and dropped Souwer with a knee to the body in the second, en route to a unanimous decision victory, clinching the coveted K-1 World MAX Tournament Championship.[31][32]
As the reigning K-1 MAX champion, Petrosyan was scheduled to face Masato in the Japanese legend's retirement match at Dynamite!! 2009 in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009[33][34] but his broken hand kept him out of the fight and he was replaced by Andy Souwer.[35][36] He instead returned to the ring on January 30, 2010, defending his WKN intercontinental title against Mohamed Diaby in Turin. Although giving up a sizable reach advantage to the lanky Diaby, Petrosyan was able to get inside and constantly connect. Midway through round one, he connected with a clean punch, dropping the Frenchman. In round two, he continued the pressure, peppering Diaby with shots and earning a second knockdown when Diaby simply could not stand any longer. Diaby gamely made it to his feet, but his corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.[37]
After healing up from his injuries, Petrosyan made his comeback to K-1 and entered into the K-1 World MAX 2010 Tournament, winning a unanimous decision against Vitaly Gurkov in the round of sixteen at the K-1 World MAX 2010 in Seoul World Championship Tournament Final 16 in Seoul, South Korea on October 3, 2010. After a clear 10-9 opening round, the reigning champion began really picking the tall Belarusian apart with counterpunches, catching kicks and slipping punches en route to another dominant second frame. By the third round, Gurkov's nose was bloodied and busted, and the Belarusian could offer up no reply to "The Doctor's" surgical strikes. A fighter with an extensive Muay Thai background, Gurkov also spent much of the fight clinched up and was eventually yellow carded for such action.[41][42][43][44]
At the K-1 World MAX 2010 World Championship Tournament Final in Tokyo on November 8, 2010, he again met with Albert Kraus in the quarter-finals and the match was identical to the pair's first meeting a year earlier as the Dutchman found himself being countered for the majority of the fight and lost a wide unanimous decision. Against Mike Zambidis in the semis, while the short Greek aggressively pursued him around the ring with leaping hooks and haymakers, Petrosyan evaded and further countered him with punches and step knees en route to another UD victory. In the final, he faced off against home town fighter Yoshihiro Sato. Although Sato's height and reach advantage caused him some problems, Petrosyan was still able to dominate the match and took the unanimous decision victory to be crowned the K-1 World MAX champion for the second year in-a-row and become the only fighter ever to defend a K-1 MAX title.[45][46]
Further hand injuries and promotional problems (2011–2012)
Giorgio Petrosyan was initially due to take on Yohan Lidon at Thai Boxe Mania 2011 in Turin on January 29, 2011, but the Frenchman withdrew in advance after conceding that he would be unable to make the -70 kg/154 lb weight limit.[48]Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee stepped in as his replacement and ran the Petrosyan relatively close in match that showed why both men are where they are in the sport but Petrosyan nonetheless had the upper hand throughout the fight and was able to pull off the unanimous decision victory.[49][50] He then defeated Cosmo Alexandre by UD at the Fight Code: Dragon Series 2011 - Round 2 in Milan on March 12, 2013.[51]
Although a fourth match with Abdallah Mabel was rumoured for the May 14, 2011 It's Showtime 2011 Lyon event in Lyon, France,[52] Petrosyan eventually fought Chahid Oulad El Hadj and, after dominating the first two rounds, accidentally kicked El Hadj in the groin in round three. El Hadj could not continue and the bout was ruled a no contest.[53][54][55]
On July 18, 2011, in Tokyo at REBELS 8 & It's Showtime Japan Countdown-1, Petrosyan dominated Hinata to a unanimous points victory, controlling the fight by slipping almost all of Hinata's punches, checking low kicks and catching body kicks to disrupt his opponent's rhythm. The Japanese fighter's lack of head movement also made him an easy target for Petrosyan's superior boxing. However, he broke his hand a fourth time in the match.[56]
With K-1 experiencing extreme financial difficulties, the K-1 World MAX was not organized in 2011 and It's Showtime instead held its own high-level middleweight tournament, It's Showtime "Fast & Furious 70MAX", in Brussels, Belgium on September 25, 2011. Petrosyan was set to take part[57] but his broken hand forced him to withdraw and he was replaced by Robin van Roosmalen who went on to win the competition.[58]
In January 2012, Petrosyan terminated his contract with It's Showtime, which acted as his management team as well as his promoter, due to them not being able to secure the money he was owed by K-1 for winning the 2010 K-1 World MAX tournament. He stated "I think I have shown enough patience. I have been repeatedly guaranteed the compensation due. Twelve months have passed without anything, following a number of promises to pay. I remain willing to fight for anyone interested in giving me his gala tournaments, with no limits or proprietary."[62][63]
Now a free agent, he returned to Italy to fight independently and in his first outing since leaving It's Showtime defeated Abraham Roqueñi via unanimous decision at Yokkao Extreme 2012 in Milan on January 21, 2012.[64] Then, in a much anticipated match-up with Artur Kyshenko at Oktagon 2012 in Milan on March 24, 2012, Petrosyan once again displayed his dominance, outworking the Ukrainian every step of the way to take the win on all three judges scorecards.[65][66]
Glory (2012–2015)
Petrosyan signed with the newly founded Glory organization a week after the Kyshenko fight and was immediately entered into the forthcoming Glory 2012 Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lb) Slam tournament.[67] At the Lightweight Slam's opening round at Glory 1: Stockholm on May 26, 2012, Petrosyan was drawn against Fabio Pinca in a rematch eight years in the making. Petrosyan went to work from the beginning, attacking his opponent. Pinca was able to withstand the onslaught, however, and even pressed the issue on becoming more offensive minded in the fight. As the match went on, Petrosyan used this as an advantage and methodically countered with hooks and liver kicks. Petrosyan's elusiveness was also on display as he ducked and weaved out of the way of Pinca's punches and answered with a counter strike every time before winning a unanimous decision to advance to the round of eight.[68][69]
Moving on to Glory 3: Rome on November 3, 2012, in Rome, Italy, Petrosyan went up against Ky Hollenbeck in the quarter-finals, winning by TKO when Hollenbeck suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the second round after dropping the American with a perfectly timed left hook in the first. He then beat Davit Kiria by unanimous decision in the semis and, in the final, faced Robin van Roosmalen in a highly anticipated showdown. Petrosyan was able to nullify the hard-punching Dutchman by using rangy jabs and lead teep kicks to control the distance while landing power combos at will and took the unanimous points victory to win the third major tournament of his career.[70][71][72][73]
In a one-off match outside of Glory in Trieste on March 2, 2013, he turned in an uncharacteristically aggressive performance against Ole Laursen as he dropped Laursen with a knee to the liver before knocking him out with a high kick immediately after, leaving the outmatched Dane unconscious on the canvas for several minutes. This was Petrosyan's his first legitimate stoppage win in three years.[74][75]
Cruising to a UD against Hafid El Boustati at Glory 7: Milan on April 20, 2013, Petrosyan put on a lesson in footwork, timing, and ring generalship as El Boustati landed maybe two or three shots the entire fight, while simultaneously getting countered, punched, kneed, and body-kicked.[76][77][78]
Competing in the Glory 12: New York - Lightweight World Championship Tournament in New York City, New York, United States on November 23, 2013, Petrosyan was knocked out for the first time by eventual champion Andy Ristie in the semi-finals. He was unable to find his rhythm due to the Surinamese fighter's pressure but nonetheless remained in control for the first two rounds of the match. In the third, however, Ristie came out aggressively, landing a right hand by way of a switch-step that had Petrosyan stunned and following up with a left uppercut, putting an end to Petrosyan's forty-two fight, six year undefeated streak.[79] After the fight, Petrosyan revealed that he had broken his hand early in the first round.[80]
Petrosyan faced Artem Pashporin for the W5 71 kg world title on February 18, 2017, at W5 Grand Prix Kitek in Russia.[81] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[82]
Petrosyan was scheduled to fight Jonay Risco for the ISKA Super Welterweight (-70 kg/154 lb) K-1 Rules World Championship at PetrosyanMania in Monza, Italy on October 14, 2017. However, Risco withdrew due to injury and Petrosyan instead fought Chris Ngimbi for the vacant title. Petrosyan won via unanimous decision and became the new ISKA Super Welterweight K-1 World Champion.[84]
In April 2018, Petrosyan signed with ONE Championship, unveiling their Super Series segment as a figurehead, a venture which would intertwine kickboxing and Muay Thai bouts within their MMA based events.[86] Petrosyan found himself in the co-main event slot for ONE: Heroes of Honor in Manila, Philippines, squaring off against Lion Fight veteran Jo Nattawut, a bout the Armenian-Italian won with his technical defensive kickboxing expertise via a unanimous decision.[87]
Petrosyan returned in February 2019, competing for a second time in his brother Armen's kickboxing promotion, PetrosyanMania. He successfully defended his ISKA Super Welterweight (-70 kg/154 lb) K-1 Rules World Championship against Japanese kickboxer Atsushi Tamefusa.[89] Petrosyan was expected to return to ONE later that year, having recently being announced as a participant in the upcoming ONE Super Series Kickboxing Featherweight Grand Prix. The event was expected to start around May.[90]
On October 13, 2019, Petrosyan defeated Samy Sana by unanimous decision in the Grand Prix Final to become the inaugural ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix Champion, in addition to winning a USD$1 million cash prize.[95]
Petrosyan was expected to face Khambakhadov Saifullah for the ISKA Super Welterweight K-1 Rules World Championship at PetrosyanMania on December 4, 2021.[103] However, the event was postponed due to Petrosyans's injury and is now scheduled to take place on April 30, 2022. Khambakhadov was replaced by Fatih Aydin.[104] Petrosyan won the fight by TKO in the second round.[105]
Petrosyan challenged the WAKO Pro K-1 World Super Welterweight (69.1 kg) champion Sergio Sanchez at PetrosyanMania GOLD EDITION on May 18, 2024.[106] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[107]
