Tyson Pedro earned his second straight UFC win when he finished the previously undefeated Paul Craig at UFC 209.
The undefeated star paid tribute to his late cousin at the event by wearing a special hat during his walk to the Octagon.
“My cousin was killed in Afghanistan in 2010,” Pedro said following UFC 209. “He was in the American military. His mom, who’s here tonight, sent me this hat, and I’ve worn it to every fight. I’ve got him tatted on me as well. That’s what the deal with the hat is.”
Craig and Pedro competed in the lone battle of undefeated fighters on the UFC 209 card. Pedro believes the biggest reason he got his hand raised at UFC 209 was because his opponent was underestimating him.
“I think that’s why I was having so much fun with it, because he was underestimating me,” Pedro said. “I knew that he’d been asking for a top-15 opponent, and he said I didn’t deserve to be in there. I’m still in my infancy as it shows in my record, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. Everyone else is still surprised at my skill level, but I know where I’m at. So I just keep doing it slowly and getting it done, and hopefully people will start recognizing.”
The fighter now holds a 6-0-0 professional MMA record and two of those wins have come in the UFC.
