UFC: Tyson Pedro brings James Te Huna into corner for bout against Vitor Petrino

Tyson Pedro returns to the UFC octagon this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi mixed martial arts pioneer James Te Huna will be back in an arena wearing UFC-issued kit this weekend, albeit in a different role than what has historically brought him to the octagon.

The former UFC fighter will be in the corner for Australian light heavyweight Tyson Pedro when he fights undefeated Brazilian Vitor Petrino in the co-main event of Sunday’s fight night in Las Vegas.

Te Huna will join City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman and Pedro’s dad, John, in supporting the 32-year-old through the bout, but while the other two are familiar faces in Pedro’s corner, having Te Huna there will be something new.

“I was in his corner for one of his fights and I’d always wanted to have him in my corner, so why not this one, when we were back in Vegas?” Pedro told the Herald.

“It just worked out... it felt right to ask him.”

Like many fighters across Australia and New Zealand, Te Huna inspired Pedro as he was eyeing a career in the sport.

Te Huna was the first New Zealander to fight in the UFC, making his debut with the promotion in February 2010 and posting a 5-5 UFC record before retiring from the sport in 2016.

“I’ve been training with him since I was about 12 years old. He was a pioneer for Australian MMA and I’ve always looked up to him,” Pedro said.

“I’ve still got a pair of shorts that he signed for me, pretty much saying, ‘You’ll be in the UFC one day’, and he’s been just as much a part of my journey as anyone else.”

Pedro will be looking to string back-to-back wins together when he steps into the octagon opposite Petrino after claiming a first-round knockout in his most recent bout in Sydney last September.

Pedro, who travels to Auckland for his weeks-long fight camps, admitted this camp had been particularly hard on him as he has spent more time away from his family, but said it was something he needed to do to for the best possible version of himself to show up in the cage come fight night.

“I’ve been missing my daughter a lot. Vitor is the reason why I’ve been away from my family, so the plan is to make him pay for that,” Pedro said.

“To be honest, being away from my family is one of the things that helps me concentrate on camp and makes me dial in a lot more. I get real tunnel-vision. I find it hard to train sometimes when I’m staying at home.

“It’s that balance that you’re trying to find, and I feel like I’m the best fighter I can be when I’m at City Kickboxing. I wouldn’t risk staying outside of that camp [and] coming and fighting the best people in the world.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.