The
Ultimate Fighting Championship appears to be gearing up for its
inaugural trip to Kazakhstan by signing a promising young fighter
from the nation.
On Wednesday, Mariya
Agapova (8-1) announced on Instagram
that she has signed with the UFC. The 22-year-old was originally
slated to meet Daiana
Torquato at Invicta FC 39 in February, but she was hit by a car and
suffered an elbow injury. Agapova's debut date and opponent have
not yet been announced.
The promotion is heading to Kazakhstan on June 13, and no venue or
city have been determined. Nur-Sultan, which contains a 30,000 seat
arena called the Astana Arena, is a
potential destination. The organization has also signed
multiple additional Kazakhstani fighters of late, including
unbeaten welterweight Shavkat
Rakhmonov and top-15 flyweight Zhalgas
Zhumagulov. Russian fighter Damir
Ismagulov is also of Kazakh descent, and has been with the
promotion since 2018.