Vitor Petrino’s arm tattoos are a mix of lettering, dates and separate illustrations. On his left side, “Vale Tudo” and 1997 sit near the shoulder; a knuckle-shaped image, script and darker artwork continue down the arm. His right arm has a different set of designs, with open skin between several pieces.
Vale Tudo and the illustrated left shoulder
A photo from Petrino’s fight with Tyson Pedro shows “Vale Tudo” curved above an illustrated face on his left shoulder, with block letters below. Vale Tudo is a Portuguese phrase commonly translated as “anything goes” and is associated with Brazilian fighting.
In a 2023 Sherdog interview, Petrino described being around martial arts as a child and taking up boxing, muay thai and sanda as a teenager before amateur MMA. That’s background to his fighting career, not an explanation of why he chose this tattoo.
The 1997 tattoo on his left upper arm
The outlined numerals 1997 sit on the outside of Petrino’s left upper arm, below the shoulder artwork. Sherdog and Tapology list 1997 as his birth year, and EssentiallySports describes the tattoo as a birth-year reference. A photo of him kicking Pedro shows how the number follows the arm.
The image makes the placement clear, but not when he got the tattoo or what prompted it.
The knuckle-shaped tattoo inside his left arm
On the inside of Petrino’s left upper arm is a shaded image shaped like brass knuckles, with lettering around it. The four rounded openings are visible, though the small writing is difficult to read.
The inner-biceps placement comes into view when he raises his arm; a normal guard can turn it away from the camera. The photographs don’t provide a personal meaning for the image or lettering.
The lettering and illustration on his left forearm
A punching photo shows a dark illustration on Petrino’s left forearm, surrounded by script. The central image is rounded, with heavier angular shading around it. Wrist tape covers the end of the design, and the angle makes the smaller details hard to identify.
Petrino wears yellow shorts; the larger tattoos on the opponent in white belong to Tyson Pedro. The photo supports the placement and general layout, but not a full reading of the script or a precise name for the central image.
The separate artwork on his right arm
In a high kick against Modestas Bukauskas, Petrino’s right arm is visible from the outside. An angular shaded piece covers part of the shoulder and upper arm, with dark lettering lower down and a rounder illustration on the forearm. Bare-skin gaps separate the main designs.
This arrangement differs from the year and shoulder lettering on his left arm. The broad shapes are visible, but no personal explanation for the right-arm imagery is established here.
Moving into the heavyweight division
The photo with Dustin Jacoby comes from Petrino’s light-heavyweight period. In July 2025, he told UFC.com that making the division’s weight limit had become harder and was affecting his performances. He also discussed eating and sleeping better during preparation and learning when to rest.
Those comments describe his move to heavyweight, not his tattoos. The interview below follows his March 2026 unanimous-decision win over Steven Asplund.