Former UFC star Paige VanZant’s husband Austin Vanderford will realize a dream this weekend in Seattle.
Five years after Paige VanZant‘s UFC tenure came to an end, her husband Austin Vanderford will make his first walk to the UFC Octagon on just days’ notice.
Vanderford will step up on days’ notice to face Nikolay Veretennikov in a catchweight bout this Saturday at UFC Seattle. The fight will be contested at a catchweight after Veretennikov’s originally scheduled opponent, Billy Goff, withdrew from the card earlier this week.
It’s been a long time coming for the Dana White’s Contender Series alum Vanderford. After back-to-back losses to end his Bellator tenure, Vanderford earned a vicious first-round knockout in his MMA return at LFA 194 in October.
Seven years after UFC CEO Dana White shunned Vanderford for a chance in the promotion despite a second-round submission on DWCS, Vanderford will have the chance to secure a multi-fight UFC deal in Seattle this Saturday.
After the news broke of Vanderford’s UFC debut, VanZant didn’t take long to send a message to her following on social media.
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Paige VanZant expected to be in Austin Vanderford’s corner for UFC Seattle
“See you soon Seattle!” VanZant posted on her Instagram story.
VanZant and Vanderford will also make their Pacific Northwest homecomings this week. VanZant grew up in Dundee, Oregon, and Vanderford fought in Tacoma and Ridgefield, Washington earlier in his MMA career.
During his Bellator tenure, Vanderford defeated the likes of Fabian Edwards, Vinicius de Jesus, and Joseph Creer inside the cage. Vanderford fought for the Bellator middleweight title at Bellator 275 against Gegard Mousasi, losing by first-round TKO.
After a loss to Aaron Jeffery in his next fight, Vanderford parted ways with Bellator after the PFL merger. A first-round win over Victor Romero at LFA 194 earned the attention of the UFC matchmakers.
Paige VanZant set for MMA return after Global Fight League draft
VanZant will make a return to MMA in the Global Fight League after she was drafted by Team Miami earlier this year for the league’s inaugural season. As of this writing, a date and opponent for VanZant’s MMA return haven’t been announced.
VanZant is also still under contract with Bare Knuckle FC and could potentially return to the ring later this year. BKFC headman Dave Feldman revealed that the promotion is currently working on setting a date and opponent for VanZant’s next bare-knuckle fight.
VanZant hasn’t won an MMA fight since submitting Rachael Ostovich in Jan. 2019 with an armbar in the first round. She parted ways with the UFC after a submission loss to Amanda Ribas at UFC 251.
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