Dana White’s Contender Series alum Nikolay Veretennikov arrives in the UFC this weekend, stepping into a fight with Danny Barlow at UFC Vegas 95.
Kazakhstan’s Veretennikov (12-4) is a veteran of LFA and a former UFL welterweight champ, who’s been knocking on the door of the big leagues for a while now.
“I’m very excited. I’m happy to be part of UFC. That’s like a big step for me,” he stated during this week’s UFC Vegas 95 media day. “I waited for this time like so long.”
And so, when the call from the UFC came to fight Danny Barlow, the answer was yes. It would have been yes regardless of opponent. “Yes, it doesn’t matter what, and who. Just fight, and that’s it,” Veretennikov said of his approach.
Once Barlow was offered, it was time for a crash course on Veretennikov’s new opponent.
“I don’t know nothing about him, being honest with you. I don’t know who this guy is. I know where he’s from, I researched him a little bit. I saw a couple of his fights. It’s more for myself, to improve myself.”
Nikolay Veretennikov might have been here sooner, were it not for a loss to Michael Morales on the Contender Series in 2021. He’d gone 3-0 for LFA before that appearance, with the promotion being one of the main feeder leagues for the UFC. An eight-fight win streak overall carried him into DWCS, where he ran into a supremely tough opponent that is today 16-0.
Veretennikov has not lost since. Neither has Morales, which might make the decision loss sting a little less.
“I think it was a very close fight. The judges gave him the decision, it’s okay, I’m not looking for excuses. It is what it is,” Veretennikov said of the fight. “If I have the opportunity to fight him again, in a rematch at some point, I think I can show myself better.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 95 media day appearance by Nikolay Veretennikov above.
