Former Bellator standout and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Austin Vanderford came out on top in his UFC debut at UFC Seattle — and his opponent, Nikolay Veretennikov, may have simultaneously made his last appearance.
Vanderford completely dominated the opening round, gaining top control with a takedown and riding out on top for about four of the five first-round minutes. The debutant showed little let up, with Veretennikov getting very limited offense in.
After a little defense from Veretennikov, “The Gentleman” returned the fight to the ground and got back to work, overwhelming the Kazakh fighter en route to a solid second-round TKO.
Following the fight, an upset Veretennikov could be seen shoving Vanderford during his post-fight celebration. This prompted the American to return a shove and flip Veretennikov off, also earning the defeated fighter a chorus of boos.
Austin Vanderford Shoved By Nikolay Veretennikov Following UFC Seattle TKO
Vanderford, the husband of former UFC fighter and current bare-knuckle boxer Paige VanZant, is 13-2 in MMA. He submitted Angelo Trevino in his DWCS appearance but was not given a contract.
He then appeared in Bellator between 2019 and 2022, winning five straight fights before an unsuccessful challenge of then-Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi and a loss to Aaron Jeffrey.
Meanwhile, this was Veretennikov’s second UFC appearance. He dropped a split decision to Danny Barlow in August.
