The canvas of an MMA fighter’s journey is often a testament to their journey. Tattoos are similar to marks left by fierce battles and resonate with tales of triumph, unwavering spirit, and even loss. Ihor Potieria may not have had much success in the UFC as he fell short in three out of his first four fights since joining the MMA juggernaut in 2022. Perhaps this is a big reason that the devout Christian fighter chose to move down from light heavyweight to middleweight after only two years in the Dana White-led promotion.

The Ukrainian dynamo, however, is undeterred. Why? Because he has faith that things will turn around. And this belief seems to be an essential part of the Kyiv native’s life, who quite literally wears his ‘maker’s marks’ on his body. In this article, we will take a look at ‘Duelist’s many beautiful tattoos and what they mean.

Ihor Potieria and his chest tattoo- What does it mean?

Ihor Potieria has a multitude of tattoos on his body. Like many of his peers, ‘Duelist’ carries who he is and what he believes by visually manifesting ‘ink’ on his frame. But the most prominent ‘etching’ on his body, his piece de resistance, and the tattoo that tells us what is most important to him is on his chest.

After all, a massive piece stretches from his upper chest going right down to his waist, which he has gotten over the past year. A beautiful, photo-realistic image of Jesus Christ being crucified on the cross, looking to the sky is at the very center of his chest. To the left of that, is a moving portrait of the Virgin Mary, sullenly looking towards Jesus with her hand on her chest. to the right of Jesus on the cross is what seems like a cathedral.

Below that cathedral is a man with a long beard looking downwards morosely, perhaps representing Joseph, father of Jesus or one of his Apostles. While this may be the most striking tattoo on his body, he has a bevy of other tattoos, that give a clue into what he holds dearest to his heart.

Other tattoos and portraits on Potieria’s body

In addition to his chest piece, Potieria has a few other prominent pieces across his body. All of them hold the same sentimental value as the ones on his chest in the form of his religion’s ultimate entities, i.e. Jesus and Mary. The Ukrainian doesn’t seem to have any frivolous or purely cosmetic narratives that he isn’t emotionally attached to.

After all, his other tattoos all seem to be of people that he loves with all his heart. On his right shoulder are two portraits- one of a woman, perhaps his mother, and one of a man below it, which is probably his father. Engraved around those tattoos are the words ‘Family is my Religion’ done in beautiful cursive font.

Finally, there is a third portrait, another man, on Potieria’s left forearm, which may be either someone in his family or a good friend. These tattoos seem to have been done by the UFC middleweight’s long-time tattoo artist, Dmitry Traskovets, of the ‘Free Art Tattoo Studio‘ in his hometown of Kyiv.

Every tattoo is comparable to a fighter’s metaphorical armor, which they embrace proudly in the cage. Moreover, they are a constant reminder to get up and move towards the better things in life. As UFC 307 looms on the horizon with a scheduled bout against Cesar Almeida, Potieria will look to leave his mark in the Octagon. Do these ‘etchings’ instill the same sentiment in your hearts? What do you think about Potieria’s tattoos? Tell us in the comments below!