Steven Peterson

Steven Timothy Peterson (born May 29, 1990) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson competed in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2010, Peterson has also competed for Bellator Fighting Championships and the Legacy Fighting Alliance.

Early career
Peterson made his Bellator Fighting Championships debut on September 2, 2010 at Bellator 27 against Ernest de la Cruz, winning via unanimous decision.

Peterson made his second and final appearance in Bellator on March 23, 2012 against Chris Jones at Bellator 62, losing via split decision. Peterson competed extensively in both Legacy FC and Legacy Fighting Alliance, winning the Legacy FC Bantamweight title at Legacy FC 56 vs. Manny Vasquez via rear-naked choke. He lost a title unification bout at LFA 1 against Leandro Higo via unanimous decision.

Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series
Peterson competed on Dana White's Contender Series 7 for a chance at a UFC contract on August 22, 2017 against Benito Lopez, losing via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Peterson was supposed to make his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 126 on February 18, 2018 against Humberto Bandenay. However, due to a visa issue for Bandenay, he was replaced by Brandon Davis. Peterson lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Peterson’s next bout was at The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale on July 6, 2018 against Matt Bessette. He won the fight via split decision.

Peterson faced Luis Peña on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148. At the weigh-ins, Peña weighed in at 148.5 lbs, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit of 146 lbs. Peña was fined 30% of his fight purse and the bout proceed at catchweight. Peterson lost the fight via unanimous decision. Peterson signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC after the fight.

Peterson faced Alex Caceres on July 20, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 4. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Peterson faced Martín Bravo on September 21, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 17. Peterson won the fight by knockout via a spinning back fist in the second round. This win earn him the Performance of the Night award. Peterson said of his knockout, "I went to evade his spinning backfist and it just naturally came because I made the same step and it was right after I jabbed when he did it. The jab was the perfect setup. I was just in a flow state when I did it. Everything came natural when I landed that backfist."

Peterson was expected to face Aalon Cruz on February 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 169. However, Peterson was pulled from the event for an undisclosed reason, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Spike Carlyle.

Peterson was scheduled to meet Seung Woo Choi on February 6, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 184. However, Peterson pulled out of the fight on January 15 due to an injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Collin Anglin.

Peterson faced Chase Hooper on June 12, 2021 at UFC 263. At the weigh-ins, Peterson weighed in at 148.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20% of his purse, which went go to his opponent Hooper. Peterson won the fight via unanimous decision.

Peterson faced Julian Erosa on February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 200. At the weigh-ins, Peterson weighed in at 149 pounds, three pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceededed at catchweight and Peterson was fined 30% of his purse, which went to his opponent. He lost the fight via split decision. 13 out of 18 media scores gave it to Erosa. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award, but Peterson was unable to collect the bonus due to his weight miss. As a result, his award was given to Erosa.

Peterson faced Lucas Alexander on March 25, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 43. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and announced his retirement after his fight.

Championships and achievements

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Martín Bravo
 * Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Brandon Davis and Julian Erosa
 * MMAJunkie.com
 * 2019 September Knockout of the Month vs. Martín Bravo