Artur Minev has signed with the UFC. The undefeated Ukrainian-born mixed martial artist has accepted a short-notice fight against the also undefeated Thomas Gantt this Saturday in Las Vegas.
Minev replaces Trey Ogden, who pulled out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. Gantt and Minev will fight each other this Saturday during UFC Vegas 117 in the lightweight division. Multiple sources confirm the match-up to Heavy.com.
Lightweight Showdown Between Two Undefeated Fighters
The 22-year-old Minev has been making waves in the regional scene. The fighter from Ukraine is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has fought all of his professional fights in the US. He made his professional debut in 2023 after going undefeated as an amateur. After three finishes in his first three fights, Minev signed with the Fury FC promotion. Fury FC is widely recognized for consistently sending top-tier talent to the UFC.
Minev directly showed his talents by winning his debut via knockout within 30 seconds. After that win the Ukrainian fighter won another two fights before getting his biggest test so far in MMA. He got matched up with former Bellator MMA fighter and 30+ fight veteran Derek Campos. Minev knocked Campos out in the first round and brought his record to 7-0. On Saturday, he will look to stay undefeated against Thomas Gantt.
Gantt also makes his UFC debut. The 33-year-old is also undefeated with an 11-0 record. He earned his UFC contract in September last year when he defeated Adam Livingston via guillotine choke submission in the first round during his Dana White’s Contender Series fight. Gantt was supposed to make his UFC debut against Trey Ogden, but Ogden pulled out earlier today with an undisclosed injury.
The talented Gantt is one of the most highly touted fighters coming off Dana White’s Contender Series last season. Gantt trains under UFC legend and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier at The Academy Fight Club in Gilroy, California. Just like Minev he will make his UFC debut on Saturday.
UFC Vegas 117 – May 16
Main Card (8 pm EST)
- Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa
- DooHo Choi vs. Daniel Santos
- Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Díaz
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Rodolfo Bellato
- Timmy Cuamba vs. Benardo Sopaj
- Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams
Preliminary Card (5 pm EST)
- Jeremiah Wells vs. TBA
- Tuco Tokkos vs. Ivan Erslan
- Thomas Gantt vs. Artur Minev
- Ketlen Vieira vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
- Cody Brundage vs. Andre Petroski
- Alice Ardelean vs. Polyana Viana
- Daniel Barez vs. Luis Gurule
- Shauna Bannon vs. Nicolle Caliari
UFC Vegas 117 is live this Saturday on Paramount+.
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