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MMA1 min read

7-0 finisher Ivan Gnizditskiy joins UFC despite missing DWCS

Ivan Gnizditskiy has secured an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract despite missing his scheduled appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
7-0 finisher Ivan Gnizditskiy joins UFC despite missing DWCS

Ivan Gnizditskiy has secured an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract despite missing his scheduled appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.

The unbeaten Russian light heavyweight’s manager, Ali Askarov of Crown Sports Management, confirmed the signing to MMA Junkie. Gnizditskiy (7-0) is expected to make his promotional debut in December.

Gnizditskiy was scheduled to face Nell Ariano (6-1) on DWCS Season 10 but withdrew because of visa issues. The 30-year-old has since signed directly with the UFC.

Gnizditskiy has finished all seven of his professional victories, six by knockout or technical knockout and one by submission. He competed twice in One Championship in 2025 before stopping Tursunbek Sodikov in his most recent bout in March.

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It was published on October 16, 2026. The time of the story is shown in your own time zone on the page.

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