Paige VanZant’s husband Austin Vanderford in post-fight scrap after winning UFC Seattle debut by TKO
Paige VanZant’s husband Austin Vanderford’s first UFC victory was tarred by a post-fight push following a TKO victory.
The impressive former Bellator title contender is making the move down to welterweight in order to pursue UFC gold. However, he was forced to take on Nikolay Veretennikov at a catchweight of 175lb due to the fight being such a short-notice endeavor at UFC Seattle.
Known as one of the nicest men in MMA, Vanderford had to show his nasty side after the fact as he stuck up a middle finger at his rival when he was pushed after landing the win. Ultimately, the pair had to be separated by security before tensions thawed.
It didn’t take long for Austin Vanderford, with his wife Paige VanZant in the corner, to show off his impressive wrestling skills at UFC Seattle. With a raucous early crowd in at the Climate Pledge Arena, ‘USA’ chants rang out, he took top control of Ukrainian Nikolay Veretennikov early.
He almost landed a head and arm choke to finish proceedings in the first round, with two efforts towards the end of the five minutes coming close. It didn’t take long for him to get in a similar position in the second, although he opted for more strikes on the ground.
Eventually, Vanderford managed to get his rival’s arm locked and rained down ground-and-pound. This led referee Kevin MacDonald to step in and call a stop to the contest, much to the frustration of the Ukrainian who is now 0-2 in the octagon.
Immediately following the stoppage, Veretennikov made his way across the octagon seemingly unimpeached and pushed Vanderford. It appeared that he wasn’t happy with some shots in the closing exchange, perhaps feeling they were behind the head.
The former Bellator star didn’t back down and even appeared to make a crude gesture towards his rival as UFC security separated the pair. Ultimately, it didn’t seem to upset the wrestling sensation too much as he celebrated with a raucous crowd in the Emerald City.
In his post-fight interview, he shouted out his American Top Team corner as well as his wife’s upcoming Power Slap bout.
Paige VanZant corners Austin Vanderford to KO win at UFC Seattle
Austin Vanderford pushed by rival after winning UFC debut
UFC Seattle LIVE results: Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong headlines star-studded fight night
Michael Bisping names Henry Cejudo among top 5 wrestlers in MMA history ahead of UFC Seattle return
‘What a knockout’… UFC vet stuns Michael Bisping with vicious KO in UFC Seattle homecoming
Nursulton Ruziboev returns at UFC Seattle with vicious KO over last-minute underdog
Henry Cejudo ended the second-longest title reign in UFC history in an epic rematch
UFC EVENT
Austin Vanderford’s long wait to debut in the octagon paid off at UFC Fight Night 252 in the form of a second-round TKO of Nikolay Veretennikov.
It was a dominant performance by former Bellator fighter Vanderford (13-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who is also known as the husband of Paige VanZant. He grappled Veretennikov (12-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to the mat in the first and threatened with submissions, then picked up where he left off to ground-and-pound his way to a TKO at the 4:13 mark of Round 2.
Veretennikov wasn’t happy with the stoppage, and he made that much clear by charging across the octagon and pushed Vanderford from behind while he was talking to his team. Security quickly broke it up, and Vanderford celebrated the result.
Check out the replay of the scenes below (via X):
After the victory, Vanderford, who gets a late start to his UFC career at 34, said he’ll be looking to make an impact in the welterweight division going forward.
“I took this fight on four days’ notice, just stayed ready,” Vanderford said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I would’ve like to make the fight a little more exciting, I landed some good shots. … I just want to continue to keep evolve and moving up the rankings.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 252 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Sign up for our newsletter to get updates to your inbox, and also receive offers from us, our affiliates and partners. By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy
Sign up for our newsletter to get updates to your inbox, and also receive offers from us, our affiliates and partners. By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy
© Copyright MMA Junkie 2025
Powered by WordPress.com VIP
Upcoming Events
Most Popular
ADVERTISEMENT
Related
Austin Vanderford def. Nikolay Veretennikov at UFC Seattle: Best photos
Like this article?
ADVERTISEMENT
Want the latest news and insights in MMA?
Photos: UFC Fight Night 252 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs
UFC Fight Night 252 live updates: Results, round-by-round coverage of every fight
UFC Fight Night 252 predictions: Is Cejudo or Song the better man in Seattle?
Diego Lopes says Ilia Topuria vacating title after UFC’s ‘very clear’ message
Dana White explains Ilia Topuria’s decision to vacate UFC featherweight title
Photos: Miesha Tate through the years
Photos: UFC Fight Night 252 official weigh-ins
ADVERTISEMENT
Follow MMAJ!
Sign up for our newsletter to get updates to your inbox, and also receive offers from us, our affiliates and partners. By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy
See MMAJ stories in your feed
UFC Seattle Predictions, Picks, Projections and Expert Best Bets for Saturday, February 22
Andre Fili and Melquizael Costa (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
Check out our UFC Seattle predictions for the Saturday, February 12, event live from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The entire card airs on ESPN+ starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Our MMA experts went through this weekend’s 12-fight lineup for their UFC best bets and found plenty of value on the fight card.
You can find their analysis and picks, as well as Sean Zerillo’s moneyline and prop projections, on those matches below.
Senior Writer at The Action Network
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 7:00 p.m. ET
Austin Vanderford will make his UFC debut on Saturday in a short-notice matchup against Nikolay Veretnnikov, who was initially supposed to fight on last week’s card against Billy Ray Goff.
Vanderford – who challenged Gegard Mousasi for the Middleweight title in Bellator – is a former NAIA National Champion wrestler with the requisite grappling skillset to control this fight on the mat or up against the cage.
Veternnikov is the better striker and carries significantly more power, but he has questionable cardio and has looked like a fish on his back against lesser wrestlers than Vanderford.
He’s undoubtedly live to an early knockout, but if Veretnnikov cannot close the show early, Vanderford should gain momentum the longer the fight goes.
I projected Vanderford as a -131 favorite (56.6% implied) in this fight and would bet his moneyline up to -120 (54.5%) at just over a two percent edge compared to my fair odds. You may find better odds live after Round 1.
I also show slight value on the fight to go the distance or reach a decision at plus money (projected -107) and for Vanderford to win by decision (projected +180, listed +220); I’ll save the latter for round-robin consideration.
The Pick: Austin Vanderford -110 (DraftKings)
Offers
Select A Location
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Washington, D.C.
Fanatics Sportsbook
Bet and Get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets!
No Code Needed
Claim $1000
BetMGM
Get a 20% Deposit Match up to $1,500 in Sports Bonus!
TANMATCH1500
Promo Code
Claim $1500
Staff Writer at The Action Network
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 7:45 p.m. ET
DraftKings has gotten much sharper with their point spread lines in recent weeks, aggressively pricing them in fights expected to go the distance. However, in this case I don’t think they’ve gone far enough.
That’s because Ricky Simon is perfectly situated to take at least one round from Javid Basharat in their prelim matchup at UFC Seattle.
Basharat is yet to finish any of his UFC victories, while Simon’s only stoppage loss in the last five years came in a five round fight. Both men are arguably at their best when grappling, but Simon is the more persistent wrestler averaging more than five takedowns per 15 minutes in the UFC.
All it would take for Simon to cover this line is controlling at least one of the three rounds with his wrestling, as well as not being finished. While Simon is on a losing streak, he’s managed to win a round in all three of those fights on at least one judge’s scorecard.
On the flip side, none of Basharat’s UFC wins came against opponents with winning records in the promotion. Despite that, at least one judge thought he dropped a round in ever one of those wins.
Given how big of a step up in competition Simon is, I don’t expect Basharat to dominate all three rounds. Besides the point spread bet at DraftKings, I’m also taking a sprinkle on Simon outright as ESPNBet, where his moneyline is a juicy +210. I talked about how I’m structuring those bets on our UFC Seattle Podcast:
The Pick: Ricky Simon +3.5 -140 (DraftKings)
Contributor at The Action Network
Fighter walkouts: Approx. 8:30 p.m. ET
Andre Fili, a veteran of 23 fights inside the UFC organization, finds himself as a slight underdog against Melquizael Costa after opening as a favorite. I disagree with the line movement, as there are several area where Fili may still have an edge.
Fili is a 13 year veteran of the UFC, and he has taken on a who’s who of the lightweight and featherweight divisions. The perception by many at first glance of this matchup may be that Costa has the better submission game and carries an edge in the wrestling department, but I do not see it the same way.
Even with the daunting strength of schedule Fili has endured, he has more than held his own, boasting a 70% takedown defense and slick scrambling game when the fight does hit the mat. In fact, it’s Costa who has been taken down four times on two separate occasions, something that has only happened once to Andre Fili since 2017.
Costa is 2-2 in the UFC, with two wins coming in fights he was supposed to get his hand raised according to oddsmakers. The two times he had to step up in competition, he was finished inside of two rounds. When it comes to durability, Costa may be the younger of the two men, but Fili is the more battle tested. Fili has just two knockout losses on his record over his past 17 bouts inside the octagon.
I don’t foresee Costa in out-grappling the veteran Fili, thus, much of this fight should play out in kickboxing range. Fili has the better movement, a three inch reach advantage, and will be able to lead the dance in output due to the lack of power coming back in his direction from Costa.
Fighting behind a strong jab and stinging leg kicking attack, Fili is undoubtedly the more proven commodity when it comes to striking against a higher level of competition. He should neutralize any grappling attempts from Costa and use his underrated power to win moments in this fight – I love the value on the more experienced fighter Fili here.
The Pick: Andre Fili +100 (DraftKings)
Contributor at Action Network
Fighter walkouts: Approx.10:15 p.m. ET
It’s always a risk taking a popular underdog, but Rob Font is well-liked this week, justifiably so.This is a “fraud check” spot for the undefeated Jean Matsumoto, who will be taking a step-up in competition here.
Font is one of the better strikers (and straight up boxers) the UFC has. He also will be looking to showcase these skills against Matsumoto, who was took 89 significant strikes from Brad Katona in his last bout in October.
That also marks the last time we saw Font, who decisioned Kyler Phillips in the co-main event. Matsumoto should win if he’s legitimate, but we don’t know. His 16-0 seems padded, and Font has legitimate wins over Phillips, Adrian Yañez, Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, and Ricky Simón within the last five plus years of competition.
The style of this fight may also play to his hands. Matsumoto being a muay thai fighter plays into how Font wants to navigate this bout, meaning two things for me. One, Font will have opportunities to outstrike a hittable opponent. Two, the +700 win via KO/TKO for Font — of which he has nine in his career — might be worth a little nibble, even if a decision is more likely.
The Pick: Rob Font +142 DraftKings | Sprinkle on KO/TKO at +700
Offers
Select A Location
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Washington, D.C.
ESPN BET
Bet $10, Get $100 in Bonus Bets + 30 days of ESPN+!
New users only, 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be physically pr…See More
TANBONUS
Promo Code
Claim $100
Fanatics Sportsbook
Bet and Get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets!
No Code Needed
Claim $1000
Follow Action Network Staff @ActionNetworkHQ on Twitter/X.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.
Action Network is a part of the digital sports media group Better Collective
Better Collective owns and operates a group of leading digital sports media brands across the world
Better Collective is dual listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and Nasdaq Copenhagen
Copyright 2025 © Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices
DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
