DWCS winner Artem Vakhitov says UFC no longer in immediate plans after contract dispute
(Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:27 p.m. ET to reflect the GLORY 100 official announcement)
Artem Vakhitov captured the MMA world’s attention when he won a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last October – in part because of his past kickboxing rivalry with Alex Pereira.
More than five months later, Vakhitov (3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has yet to compete inside the octagon. Why? According to Vakhitov and his team, the numbers have not satisfied their standards.
“I was elated when I won my fight in DWCS and got the contract,” Vakhitov told MMA Junkie in a written statement through a translator. “Alex was ringside. We all talked afterwards, and it looked like the trilogy fight was a real possibility if I next went into the UFC and won a fight or two.
“… Unfortunately, when it came time to make the UFC contract, it transpired that the UFC has very strict conditions regarding fighters who come through DWCS. According to UFC protocols, they were not able to offer me more than the standard contract offered to all fighters who progress through this show. … My team attempted to negotiate, but the UFC rules were strict, and no changes were possible.”
A typical DWCS contract contains a clause the promotion can activate, which would automatically put a selected fighter on a 20-month, four-fight deal, multiple sources told MMA Junkie. However, both Vakhitov and his manager, Andrey Busygin, indicated they’ve parted ways with the UFC.
The UFC has not responded to a request for clarification on Vakhitov’s roster status at the time of publication.
UFC still in Vakhitov’s future?
“I do not wish to appear arrogant regarding this contract,” Vakhitov said. “I understand they have their rules, and I respect that, but I am a prizefighter. I have daughters to provide for and a short window of opportunity. It would have been a great dream to enter the UFC, but I could not justify the loss of earnings this contract would represent. And so we had to respectfully decline. But all of our dealings were pleasant, and perhaps in the future we will talk again.”
Vakhitov, 33, is a two-time GLORY light heavyweight champion. He split two fights with Pereira. He pivoted to MMA in 2023 but injured his shoulder in his debut. He then rattled off three wins, including a DWCS victory over Islem Maraf by first-round TKO.
According to Busygin, Vakhitov and his team hoped for the same deal Pereira received when he was onboarded into the UFC with the same 3-1 professional record Vakhitov has.
“The UFC position was that all fighters coming through Dana White Contender Series receive the same contract with standard terms and conditions,” Busygin told MMA Junkie in a written statement. “Personally I felt this was unfair to Artem, given his achievements in combat sports and having the same level as Alex at the time he entered the UFC. But rules are rules. I understand.”
‘This trilogy fight will have to wait’
Both Vakhitov and Busygin said there are no hard feelings from their end and did not rule out dealing with the promotion in the future.
“We had to decline signing this agreement,” Busygin said. “It’s a shame, but there are no hard feelings. We respect their position, and they respect ours. We had very pleasant negotiations with (UFC chief business officer) Hunter (Campbell) and his team. We are disappointed, of course, that we now won’t get the trilogy between Artem and Alex in the octagon, but we’ve moved on to other targets now. There is a huge fight coming up, so this trilogy fight will have to wait.”
GLORY 100 is set to be headlined by Vakhitov (23-6) against kickboxing megastar Rico Verhoeven (64-10). The event takes place June 14 in the Netherlands.
“That’s a fight I’ve always wanted,” Vakhitov said. “I have been calling for that fight since 2017. Nobody wanted to fight Rico. They call him ‘The King’ because he has ruled that division for so long. But I really believed myself to be the best pound-for-pound kickboxer in GLORY, and my opinion hasn’t changed. Maybe the king is finally ready to meet the tsar.”