Austin Vanderford finally made his UFC debut on short notice after multiple opponent changes and secured a victory against Nikolay Veretennikov, despite a post-fight altercation that was quickly diffused without further incident.
Austin Vanderford was always on standby, just in case the UFC needed him. But even after getting the call, he wasn’t entirely convinced a fight would materialize.
The former Bellator title contender left the PFL hoping to finally secure a spot on the UFC roster. After being overlooked post-victory on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, this was his chance. The opportunity came with a call from UFC matchmakers, offering him a fight just days away.
“Last Saturday, we trained hard early in the morning,” Vanderford shared with MMA Fighting. “I did more than usual for some reason, got home tired, took a nap, and woke up right before the fights. Then my phone buzzed—it was Sean Shelby. I thought, damn, better answer this.”
Sean Shelby offered him a fight at 170 pounds for the UFC Seattle card, just six days out from weigh-ins. Without knowing his opponent, Vanderford eagerly accepted. “You’re fighting Billy Goff next Saturday,” Shelby said. Vanderford exclaimed to his wife Paige VanZant, “We’re going to Seattle, babe, book us a ticket!”
Vanderford and VanZant were eager for this moment but grew concerned when no bout agreement arrived by Sunday night. “By Monday morning, still no contract,” Vanderford recalled. “I started thinking maybe this isn’t happening.”
With flights booked for Tuesday morning, Vanderford received unwelcome news: Billy Goff was out of the fight. His biggest fears were becoming reality.
Soon after, another call came offering Nikolay Veretennikov as an opponent. But that fell apart too when Veretennikov couldn’t make weight.
Vanderford rescheduled his flight for later Tuesday afternoon, hoping for a miracle from the UFC.
Thankfully, by 11 a.m. Tuesday, he got word that Nikolay accepted the fight at 175 pounds. “F*cking A man, let’s go,” Vanderford said upon receiving the contract immediately afterward.
Once news of his UFC debut spread, Vanderford’s name lit up social media. It’s not new to him; he’s used to attention due to his career and high-profile wife.
“From day one, I feel like I’ve been built for that,” he said about handling public scrutiny and fame.
Upon arriving in Seattle, making weight wasn’t much of a worry with Veretennikov’s five-pound allowance.
Fight night came, and the seasoned fighter was ready to prove himself among the world’s best in the UFC.
Even with short notice and little prep time for his opponent, Vanderford relied on superior wrestling and grappling skills to dominate Veretennikov.
In the second round’s waning moments, Vanderford trapped Veretennikov against the cage with an unrelenting barrage of punches. The referee stopped it when it became clear Veretennikov couldn’t escape.
While Veretennikov protested post-fight, Vanderford knew it was a justified stoppage—things were only going downhill from there.
“I could feel he wasn’t trying to get out,” Vanderford explained. “They stopped it with 45 seconds left; I could’ve kept that pace for ten more minutes.”
Despite celebrating his first UFC win briefly, tensions flared when Veretennikov shoved him post-fight. Security intervened swiftly.
There were calls for disciplinary action against Veretennikov but UFC CEO Dana White decided against it. Even Vanderford didn’t push for consequences despite wishing Veretennikov showed such aggression during their fight instead.
Reflecting on it all later: “I get it,” Vanderford said about emotions running high during combat sports. “It wasn’t as big a deal as some made it out to be.”
He never saw Veretennikov again backstage thanks to careful management by UFC officials but wasn’t worried if they crossed paths again.
“Ran into his team—they were apologetic,” Vanderford recounted with a shrug. “What’s he gonna do? He just got beat up for ten minutes.”