Oleg Petrenko beat Dave Chaffee 4–3 at East vs West 27 to win the interim right-arm 115 kg title. He took the match on roughly two weeks’ notice after replacing Michael Todd.

The result was a huge win for Petrenko. The more revealing part was his ability to keep winning after Chaffee got into the straps and the match reached a hook. That gave the Ukrainian a much harder problem than his quick opening pin suggested.

Petrenko Had To Win Beyond The Hand

Petrenko controlled Chaffee’s hand outside the straps in the first round and finished quickly. Against Dave, taking the wrist early can stop his side pressure from arriving through a strong cup. Petrenko made that opening count.

Chaffee’s second-round win in the straps changed the problem. Dave had a connection he could work through. Petrenko would have to deal with pressure that his first attack had avoided.

That distinction matters in a close match. A fast first pin can tell us who found the better start. Seven rounds ask whether that advantage survives a different grip and repeated efforts.

Our coverage of Bornman’s strap connection against Larsson examined how a puller can keep applying force while the opponent works on the hand. Petrenko had to find an answer once Chaffee could stay attached.

The Hook Made This Win More Convincing

Petrenko fought through the later inside exchanges. That is the detail I’d put ahead of the short notice. Holding up in a hook against Chaffee asks a lot of the arm once the easy hand advantage has gone.

Dave still took three rounds. He found enough success to push the match to a decider, and Petrenko had to keep producing after the opening surprise wore off.

A 4–3 score deserves that respect. It leaves room for Chaffee’s adjustments while giving Petrenko full credit for handling them. Calling it a simple hand-control win would miss the most impressive part.

For future opponents, forcing Petrenko inside now looks like a less comfortable plan. They still have to finish him there. Chaffee made that test real and Petrenko came through it.

A Different Opponent Brought A Different Result

Michael Todd beat Petrenko 4–0 for the right-arm light heavyweight title in Little Rock in June. Moving up to face Chaffee offered little reason to expect an easy recovery from that loss.

Petrenko took the opportunity anyway. His win shows how much the opponent’s style changes the task. The problems Todd gave him carried limited value as a prediction of what would happen against Dave.

The division already had Devon Larratt demanding the interim-title winner before the opponent changed. Petrenko has now earned a place in that discussion.

His next heavyweight opponent has to prepare for the hand that won the opener and the inside strength that lasted through the deciding round.