Artem Vakhitov passes up on UFC deal amid financial disagreement over 'Standard contract' on offer
03/25/2025 04:38 PM
Russian striking ace, Artem Vakhitov has revealed he is no longer approaching a debut outing with the UFC — citing concerns with the financial structure of the initial contract offered to him following his win on Dana White’s Contender Series back in October of last year.
Vakhitov, a former two-time light heavyweight champion with GLORY Kickboxing, made an appearance on the Contender Series at the end of last year, landing a first round knockout win over Islem Masraf — earning himself a contract with the Octagon leader.
And given his distinct rivalry with Alex Pereira — whom he defeated in the Brazilian’s final kickboxing outing, Vakhitov was immediately linked with an eventual trilogy bout the Brazilian berserker if he was to make good on an Octagon outing.
Artem Vakhitov turns down UFC contract offer
However, during an interview with MMA Fighting, Vakhitov has revealed his unhappiness with the “standard contract” offer tabled to him following his Contender Series win — and has turned down the chance to make a UFC debut.
"Obviously I was delighted to win my fight on DWCS and get offered a contract," Artem Vakhitov told MMA Fighting. "It was cool that Alex was there, also. It felt like the trilogy fight was very close, just a win or two away. Unfortunately, when it came time to finalize the UFC contract, it became clear that the UFC has strict policies for fighters coming through DWCS.
"Under their protocols, they were only able to offer me the standard contract given to all DWCS signings,” Artem Vakhitov explained. “My team tried to negotiate, but the UFC's rules left no room for adjustments. I want to be clear that I don't take issue with their approach—I respect their structure. But I am a prizefighter, and I have a family to support. I have a limited window to make the most of my career."
Instead, the Russian striker with headline GLORY 100 in June, taking on Dutch striking ace, Rico Verhoeven in a title fight this summer.
"This is a fight I've wanted for a long time," Vakhitov said about the matchup against Verhoeven. "I've been calling for it since 2017. For years, nobody wanted to fight Rico—he's called 'The King' for a reason, he's dominated this division for so long.”
