Austin Vanderford Gets His Shot in the UFC this Weekend!

First Round Management’s own Austin Vanderford (12-2-0) is finally getting his long awaited opportunity in the UFC.

Vanderford is stepping in on short notice for a 175-pound catchweight bout against Nikolay Veretennikov at this Saturday’s UFC Seattle event.

A former standout on Dana White’s Contender Series, Vanderford secured a submission win in Season 2 but was surprisingly not awarded a UFC contract. Instead, he took his talents to Bellator, where he climbed the ranks and earned a middleweight title shot against Gegard Mousasi in 2022. Now, after years of proving himself, Vanderford is finally getting his moment in the UFC.

His opponent, Nikolay Veretennikov, also comes from the Contender Series, where he competed in Season 5 before signing with the UFC last year. In his promotional debut, Veretennikov lost a competitive split decision to Danny Barlow.

Now, Vanderford has the chance to make a statement in his UFC debut. With years of experience, he’s ready to seize this opportunity and show the world what he’s capable of inside the octagon.