by John Morgan on Oct 05, 2008 at 9:00 am ET
SUNRISE, Fla. -- While on the scales for Friday's "EliteXC: Heat" weigh-ins with a pink streak running through his hair and striking a gorilla pose, 28-year-old Seth Petruzelli (10-4) was standing on the verge of instant stardom.
With the next evening's televised-card participants having already made their bouts official, throngs of gathered media and fans began to make their way to the nearest exits. The surprise-sensation-to-be sat patiently awaiting his turn to the scales, admiring a box of too-thin sponsor T-shirts and a rush-order fight banner that had just been delivered.
Twenty-eight hours, a short right punch and an unfathomable turn of events later, Petruzelli was transformed from "that guy from 'The Ultimate Fighter'" to "EliteXC star."
As Petruzelli told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) immediately after the fight, reality has yet to set in.
"It definitely hasn't set in yet," Petruzelli said. "It feels like a dream sequence for me. I'm not used to all the attention. I mean I was getting a little bit of attention after 'The Ultimate Fighter,' but this is just 10-fold now."
Petruzelli's chance to shine came at the expense of 44-year-old MMA legend Ken Shamrock, who was forced to bow out of the night's main event just hours before it was scheduled to commence. An accidental head butt suffered during a warm-up session opened up a previously sutured gash above Shamrock's left eye, and the "World's Most Dangerous Man" was declared unfit for competition.
Originally scheduled for an un-televised preliminary bout to be contested at 205 pounds, Petruzelli instead answered his employer's pleas to fill in against the feared striker and undefeated heavyweight Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. While many in attendance regarded Petruzelli as little more than a sacrificial lamb offered to fan favorite and hometown hero Slice, Petruzelli remained confident.
"I kind of have a different style than most stand-up fighters," Petruzelli said in the evening's post-fight press conference. "I'm a stand-up fighter myself, but my traditional karate background kind of throws people's boxing styles off. I knew [Slice's] style was real straight-forward boxing, and I do well against boxers that I train with."
When the bout began, Slice wasted little time in stalking his prey. Petruzelli initially appeared hesitant to engage his imposing aggressor, but after an ineffective front kick pawed at Slice's chest, Petruzelli scored with a short right hand squarely on his opponent's chin. "The Silverback" pounced on a dazed Slice, and several more rapid-fire shots found their mark. As the referee stepped in just 14 seconds into the bout, the unforeseen upset left the BankAtlantic Arena crowd in a state of shock and disbelief.
Following the bout, EliteXC Vice Preident Jared Shaw compared Petruzelli to another famed -- albeit fictional -- pugilist.
"[Petruzelli] is now the modern-day 'Rocky Balboa,'" Shaw said. "Movies are real. When opportunity knocks, you answer it. And when you open the door, there may just be a pot of gold on the other side.
"For Seth Petruzelli, he's now a star."
Petruzelli said the comparison was both overwhelming and affirming.
"It's humbling," Petruzelli told MMAjunkie.com. "It's awesome. I never had anybody describe me like that. But that's a really good feeling.
"It kind of secures the feelings that I had going through -- it sounds kind of corny -- but through childhood because that's how I felt growing up, that I wanted to be that person. I wanted to rise above the challenges. It was really cool. It meant a lot actually."
Beyond the flattering comparisons and instant notoriety that Petruzelli gained Saturday night, the seven-year MMA professional also earned a new outlook on his fighting career.
"I guess you could say I'm a part-time fighter," Petruzelli said. "[This win] does make me re-evaluate. I think I should concentrate more on fighting.
"I was fighting every six months. I think I'll be fighting every couple of months now."
John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com.
