Samo Petje, the 34-year-old Slovenian kickboxer and current SENSHI European Champion at 75 kg, is stepping into the SENSHI 31 Gladiators event at the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv on May 30. He is dropping to the 70 kg Lightweight Grand Prix, an eight-man, one-night elimination tournament that is the main event of the evening. Petje, who also keeps bees, brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience to the competition.
His first opponent in the tournament will be Italy’s Angelo Volpe, a formidable 27-year-old fighter. Volpe is known for his impressive upset victory over Muay Thai legend Youssef Boughanem at GLORY 94 in August 2024. Volpe’s team has stated they have developed a specific strategy to counter fighters trained in the Petrosyan style, which they encounter frequently.
Samo Petje: A Decade of Training with Giorgio Petrosyan
Petje has spent over a decade training with the legendary Giorgio Petrosyan, commuting weekly from Slovenia to Petrosyan’s gym in Gorizia, Italy. He describes his training as a continuous learning process, with Petrosyan consistently guiding him to correct his technique. “Every time I went there, I learned something new,” Petje shared. “He always showed me what I needed to correct, and I tried to bring those lessons into my own training. Then when I stepped into the ring, everything worked.”
Giorgio Petrosyan, a retired Armenian-Italian kickboxing icon with a remarkable record of 109 wins and 3 losses, including two K-1 World MAX titles, is widely considered one of the greatest in the sport. The “Petrosyan style,” as Petje explains, is a sophisticated blend of Dutch kickboxing, classical boxing, and Muay Thai techniques, making it intentionally difficult to read.
Petje applies this philosophy of adaptability to his own fighting style. “I think no one can truly read my game. I prepare individually for each fighter and adapt the second I step into the ring,” he stated. This approach has led him to numerous successes, including his SENSHI European title and previous K-1 and Muay Thai European championships.
SENSHI 31 and Future Aspirations
Despite being considered a favorite in the SENSHI 31 Grand Prix, Petje remains unfazed by external expectations. “I know my qualities, and I believe in myself. When I go into the ring, I feel mature and ready,” he said. Volpe, on the other hand, highlighted energy management as the primary challenge in a one-night tournament.
Away from the intense training, Petje finds a unique form of mental conditioning through his beekeeping. He operates a “laboratory” in an old school building in Slovenia, where working with bees requires a calm and focused state of mind. “When you work with bees, you cannot be nervous. If you are nervous, it becomes difficult,” he explained.
Looking ahead, should he succeed in the SENSHI tournament, Petje has his sights set on the vacant RISE Middleweight (70 kg) title. This opportunity will come at RISE 199 on June 28 in Tokyo’s iconic Korakuen Hall. Petje’s belief in his ability to compete at the highest level in Japan was solidified by a previous victory over Japanese fighter Hinata. “Since then, I’ve always believed I could win a belt in RISE,” Petje commented. “I kept asking for the opportunity, and now the time has come.”
SENSHI 31 Gladiators is set to take place in the striking Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, a historic open-air venue. The event, organized in cooperation with the KWU International Professional League, features fighters from 14 countries. The fight card also includes three KWU Full Contact super fights, notably a heavyweight bout featuring Benjamin Adegbuyi, known for his knockout win over Badr Hari. Petje’s opening match against Volpe will be the first in the Grand Prix bracket, presenting him with a significant challenge right from the start.
