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Welterweight Division

Active

"Gladiator"

Nikolay Veretennikov

Welterweight Division

14-7-0 (W-L-D)

10

Wins by Knockout

1

Wins by Submission

6

First Round Finishes

Nikolay Veretennikov
  • Last fight

    Win
    Khaos Williams

    Veretennikov vs Williams

    May. 16, 2026

athlete record

Info

Learn more about Nikolay Veretennikov's UFC history, fighter facts, and Q&A below.

Status
Active
Place of Birth
Sloboda, Ukraine
Trains at
Kings MMA
Fighting style
Sambo
Age
36
Height
73.00
Weight
170.00
Octagon Debut
Aug. 10, 2024
Reach
74.00
Leg reach
44.00
  • Pro since 2012
     
  • 10 wins by KO, one by submission (guillotine)
     
  • Six first-round finishes
     
  • Has won 13 of his last 18 fights (Started career 1-3)
     
  • 5-4 since DWCS appearance
     
  • Owns wins over UFC vets Anthony Ivy and Charlie Ontiveros
     
  • One of six fighters from Kazakhstan on the UFC Roster (Albi Idiris, Asu Almabayev, Bekzat Almakhan, Diyar Nurgozhay, & Shavkat Rakmonov) 

UFC Fight Night (5/16/26) Veretennikov was stopped by Khaos Williams via strikes at 3:31 of the first round

UFC Fight Night (2/7/26) Veretennikov stopped Niko Price via strikes at 1:42 of the first round

UFC 320 (10/4/25) Veretennikov lost a three round unanimous decision to Punahele Soriano

UFC 318 (7/19/25) Veretennikov won a three round split decision over Francisco Prado

UFC Fight Night (2/22/25) Veretennikov was stopped by Austin Vanderford via strikes at 4:13 of the second round

UFC on ESPN (8/10/24) Veretennikov lost a three round unanimous decision to Danny Barlow

 

Dana White's Contender Series, Season 5

Episode four (9/21/21) Veretennikov lost a three round unanimous decision to Michael Morales

When and why did you start training for fighting? When I was 7-8 years old, I watched a lot of movies with Bruce Lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris, and I wanted to be so strong like them. I think every young guy wanted to be like them in those times.

What titles have you held? Master of Sport in Combat Sambo, Candidate for Master of Sport in Army Hand-to-Hand Combat, champion of NAGA, and a lot of medals from Kazakhstan tournaments.

Do you have any heroes? My grandfather was my hero, I grew up with him and he taught me a lot. There are lot of people who motivated and inspire me; one of them, of course, is Fedor Emelianenko.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? This is my dream for a long time. I moved here with my wife because of UFC. We left everything in our country, following the dream. It means a lot for me. We went through a lot.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Unfortunately, no, because I had hard times and had to work.

What was your job before you started fighting? I was working security, was working as an Uber driver, and loader. I also worked on outdoor advertising and did banners and worked at construction (my shift was from 8am till 7-8 pm, sometimes later, and after I went to the gym).

Specific accomplishments in amateur competition? I was second at world’s championship in Kempo

Specific accomplishments in pro competition? Won a title belt in Fury FC

Favorite grappling technique: Leg Lock

Favorite Striking technique: Spinning back