Vartanyan defeats Ismagulov

[SokoudjouFanboy]

Only footage I can find being that I don't speak Russian. If anybody has the full fight please post it. On one hand that's gotta be enough for the UFC to sign him right? On the other hand the idea he didn't already do enough throughout his career for the UFC to be interested is genuinely laughable so we'll see. PFL is kind of blowing it right now but I'd love to see him sign there for fights with Usman, a trilogy with Shabily, McKee etc. I know he doesn't really want to, but the fights would be great.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Only a kickboxing fight so I'm not sure how much attention UFC will have paid to it unfortunately.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

Only a kickboxing fight so I'm not sure how much attention UFC will have paid to it unfortunately.

Well, he beat a very recently ranked UFC fighter who's calling card was his striking in a striking match. It's not like Vartanyan is some schlub with the grappling, quite the contrary. I just hate seeing his career on hold against his will like this.

 

[HuskySamoan]

Well, he beat a very recently ranked UFC fighter who's calling card was his striking in a striking match. It's not like Vartanyan is some schlub with the grappling, quite the contrary. I just hate seeing his career on hold against his will like this.

He can re-sign with ACA and get the AAA rematch or fight for the belt or something. Also maybe PFL, but it does sucks, it's also just par for the course. Azamat Kerefov, Evgeniy Ignatiev, Khuseyn Shaykhaev all tried to get signed to the UFC in 2023 too and they didn't want them. Even Shabliy tried to sign with the UFC before landing on Bellator, again, they didn't want him. They do not want Russian fighters for the most part, and there's only like 20 male Russians on the roster for a reason and it isn't due to lack of elite talent.

 

[SokoudjouFanboy]

He can re-sign with ACA and get the AAA rematch or fight for the belt or something. Also maybe PFL, but it does sucks, it's also just par for the course. Azamat Kerefov, Evgeniy Ignatiev, Khuseyn Shaykhaev all tried to get signed to the UFC in 2023 too and they didn't want them. Even Shabliy tried to sign with the UFC before landing on Bellator, again, they didn't want him. They do not want Russian fighters for the most part, and there's only like 20 male Russians on the roster for a reason and it isn't due to lack of elite talent.

Preaching to the choir. Let's not forget Albert Tumenov, Rustam Kerimov etc. I despise the UFC or bust mentality that exists in the industry. I don't just mean with fighters but fans too because the fans are what influence the fighters. If a meaningful portion of fans saw MMA as having the fractured talent pool it actually has instead of tying a fighter's career value to whether they fight in the UFC or not those fighters would feel more empowered to fight where they can make the most money. It's self fulfilling.

 

[Feniamin]

He can re-sign with ACA and get the AAA rematch or fight for the belt or something. Also maybe PFL, but it does sucks, it's also just par for the course. Azamat Kerefov, Evgeniy Ignatiev, Khuseyn Shaykhaev all tried to get signed to the UFC in 2023 too and they didn't want them. Even Shabliy tried to sign with the UFC before landing on Bellator, again, they didn't want him. They do not want Russian fighters for the most part, and there's only like 20 male Russians on the roster for a reason and it isn't due to lack of elite talent.

From what I remember plan for Ignatiev was to get visa and fight at DWTNCS, there wasn’t any info that he got visa.
I think there were video interview in which Shaykhaev said that he was offered a spot on DWTNCS or to take a fight in UFC on short notice and he turned it down because he thinks that he deserves to be just signed.

According to Vartanyan he is gonna wait for UFC until June and if they refuse to sign him he will fight Ismagulov in Kazakhstan under mma rules.

 

[HuskySamoan]

From what I remember plan for Ignatiev was to get visa and fight at DWTNCS, there wasn’t any info that he got visa.
I think there were video interview in which Shaykhaev said that he was offered a spot on DWTNCS or to take a fight in UFC on short notice and he turned it down because he thinks that he deserves to be just signed.

According to Vartanyan he is gonna wait for UFC until June and if they refuse to sign him he will fight Ismagulov in Kazakhstan under mma rules.

Very weird from Shaykhaev, but he is right.

 

[Feniamin]

Very weird from Shaykhaev, but he is right.

I was wrong. He said that if he still was like Myratbek with Faber, Urijah would help him with short notice fight in UFC. But they are at Kill Cliff.