Andre Petroski has explained the story behind his small hammer-and-sickle tattoo on his left torso: he says it honors his great-grandfather, who came from the Soviet Union. He has also said the design doesn’t make him a communist.
Other photos show bold characters and a portrait-like image on his right upper arm. The shapes are visible, but he hasn’t confirmed their translation or identity.
The hammer-and-sickle tattoo on his left torso
The hammer and sickle sit below Petroski’s left pectoral, toward the upper abdomen. A UFC 267 weigh-in photo shows the dark, crossed-tool silhouette clearly, with bare skin around it.
In a November 2021 Sherdog interview, Petroski said the tattoo is a tribute to his great-grandfather, who came from the Soviet Union. He also said he isn’t a communist and doesn’t intend it as a political statement. That personal explanation doesn’t erase the symbol’s wider associations, but it does answer why he says he chose it.
The characters and artwork on his right upper arm
A post-fight photo from August 2021 shows two large black characters on Petroski’s right inner upper arm, below a small oval image with a reddish detail. The raised-arm pose makes the placement easier to see.
The characters’ exact meaning and the portrait’s identity aren’t confirmed, so a translation or a named subject would be guesswork. A separate, indistinct mark is also visible near his left wrist in the weigh-in photo; there isn’t enough detail to identify it.
How the torso tattoo looks during a fight
A fight photo with Gerald Meerschaert shows the same torso emblem while Petroski punches. His bent arm partly covers it, but the hammer-and-sickle remains recognizable. The larger shaded designs on Meerschaert’s body belong to his opponent, not Petroski.
The weigh-in image gives a cleaner outline; the fight photo shows how the placement looks in motion. Neither view establishes when the tattoo was done or who made it.
Training in Philadelphia
This October 2022 photo shows Petroski sparring at Marquez MMA in Philadelphia. He wears a red long-sleeved rashguard and headgear, so his torso and upper-arm tattoos are covered. The red graphics on the shirt aren’t tattoos.
UFC coverage has described him training there with Sean Brady and Joe Pyfer. In a February 2025 interview, Petroski spoke about the encouragement of working alongside teammates with similar goals.
Grappling in the gym
A second image from the same gym session shows Petroski grappling on the mats. He reached the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 29, made his UFC debut in August 2021 and earned early UFC submission wins over Hu Yaozong and Nick Maximov. That background fits the training photo, but it doesn’t explain his tattoos.
A UFC profile introduced his daughter, Rylee, in October 2021 and discussed how much providing for her mattered to him. The only family tattoo meaning confirmed here is the tribute to his great-grandfather; the other designs need their own explanation. The interview below is where Petroski discusses the hammer-and-sickle.