Former GLORY light heavyweight champion Artyom Vakhitov will be looking to secure a UFC contract in October.
Vahithov (2-1) was the last man to defeat current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in a kickboxing ring, and now, like Pereira, Vahithov is looking to make waves in MMA.
The 33-year-old kickboxer is scheduled to face unbeaten Islem Masraf at Dana White's Contender Series 75 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas on October 8. Following an initial report from MMA Propaganda, MMA Junkie has confirmed the matchup from multiple sources.
Vahithov and Pereira shared glory in back-to-back bouts, with Pereira winning the first bout by split decision at Glory 77 in January 2021. The rematch took place eight months later at Glory 78, with Vahithov winning by majority decision.
After their second bout, both fighters went their separate ways in martial arts, with Pereira competing in UFC and Vahitov competing in Muay Thai before taking on his first professional MMA bout.
Vakhitov has won consecutive first-round bouts and will have a chance to compete for a UFC contract later this year.
His opponent, Maslav (3-0), has never lost a fight in his mixed martial arts career, professional or amateur, and has won all of his bouts by stoppage, with only one advance to the second round.
Maslav first made his mark at PFL Europe 1 in 2024, when he knocked out opponent Michaël Grogue in a bizarre highlight-show moment.
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