The UFC has signed Russian light heavyweight Ivan Gnizditskiy, an unbeaten former ONE Championship fighter, according to his manager Ali Askarov of Crown Sports Management. The signing was reported on October 15 and later covered by MMA Junkie and Sherdog.
What was reported
Askarov, of Crown Sports Management, confirmed the deal to MMA Junkie. Sherdog reports that Gnizditskiy, 7-0, signed with the promotion even though he missed out on Dana White's Contender Series. According to Sherdog, visa issues kept him from a scheduled appearance on the show's tenth season, where he was set to face Nell Ariano (6-1) before withdrawing.
That means he reaches the UFC without a Contender Series win, the route most unbeaten prospects take to a contract.
Sherdog reports that he is expected to make his UFC debut in December. No opponent, date or event has been announced, and the UFC has not yet published a statement in the sources we reviewed.
Who is Ivan Gnizditskiy
Nicknamed "Samurai", Gnizditskiy is a Russian fighter. According to Sherdog, he fought twice in ONE Championship in 2025 and most recently stopped Tursunbek Sodikov in March. Sherdog describes him as a finisher: most of his wins have come by knockout or technical knockout, with one by submission.
Pugna MMA's database lists him at 6-0 with five wins by KO or TKO and one by submission, and no decision wins. His record there lags one fight behind the 7-0 figure used by his manager and by Sherdog, so we use the reported 7-0 here. The database lists him at catchweight, while Sherdog describes him as a light heavyweight. He has no UFC ranking, as he has yet to fight in the promotion.
What comes next
The next news to watch for is the official booking of his debut. If the December timeline holds, the UFC would be expected to announce his opponent and the event in the coming weeks. Until then, the main facts are the signing itself, his unbeaten record and the way he got his contract, outside the Contender Series.
Fans will get their first look at how a fighter with his finishing record fares against UFC-level opposition once the bout is made official. Pugna MMA will update his profile when the promotion confirms his first fight.
Sources
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.