Austin Vanderford is a UFC fighter.
Thirteen years after his competitive MMA journey began, Vanderford (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will debut Saturday at UFC Fight Night 252 in Seattle in a 175-pound catchweight bout vs. Nikolay Veretennikov. The bout will take place on the prelims at Climate Pledge Arena.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup Tuesday informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Full Send MMA was first to report the bout.
A Pacific Northwest representative, Vanderford and Veretennikov (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC), fill out a card that has been ravaged by injuries and cancellations.
Vanderford, 34, is the husband of former UFC star Paige VanZant. He competed seven times in Bellator from 2019 to 2022 and compiled a 5-2 promotional record, including a failed title challenge vs. Gegard Mousasi. Vanderford became a free agent following the PFL-Bellator merger and won his LFA debut in 65 seconds in October.
Veretennikov, 35, is a product of “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” and “Dana White’s Contender Series. He debuted in August, but lost a split decision to Danny Barlow.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 252 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)
- Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
- Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez
- Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Jean Silva
- Rob Font vs. Jean Matsumoto
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Melquizael Costa vs. Andre Fili
- Ibo Aslan vs. Ion Cutelaba
- Eric McConico vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
- Javid Basharat vs. Ricky Simon
- Austin Vanderford vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Nick Klein
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Rafael Cerqueira
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
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