It’s often a very bad decision to take fights on short notice unless your name is Alex Pereira, who had incredible last-minute deliveries on more occasions than one. Many elite fighters hate to step in on days’ notice, but that doesn’t seem to bother Bellator star and veteran Austin Vanderford, who got scheduled for a fight just hours after signing with the UFC. Surprisingly, his wife and former UFC fighter, Paige VanZant, seemed excited rather than worried for her husband.

It has been thirteen long years for Austin Vanderford since he started his MMA journey, as he finally signed the dotted lines to be a part of Dana White‘s organization. Having made such a big climb to the premiere promotion in MMA, some would have hoped he’d have taken more time before showcasing what he’s really got in his UFC debut. But Vanderford jumped right in for an opportunity to fight at UFC Seattle and will be butting heads against Nikolay Veretennikov in a 175-pound catchweight fight after the Fight Night card got plagued with cancelations and injuries.

Despite this being a catchweight fight, Austin Vanderford would hope to make an impression. Guess what? Paige VanZant, after applauding her husband, appeared to guarantee Dana White that ‘The Gentleman’ will be putting on a show this weekend in Seattle. “4 days notice. UFC debut [Austin Vanderford] Let’s freaking go,” ’12 Gauge’ stated on her Instagram stories.

This is not the first time Austin Vanderford will be fighting under the UFC banner, as he was previously a part of the second season of Dana White’s Contender Series. He even won that fight, beating Angelo Trevino with a 2nd-round submission win, but the CEO opted not to sign him and the 34-year-old would end up signing with Bellator.

But how is Austin Vanderford as a fighter? Before we get to his UFC debut this weekend, let’s have a closer look at Austin Vanderford’s MMA record so far.

Austin Vanderford’s MMA career so far

Austin Vanderford had always loved competition, and he started off his combat sports journey with high school wrestling. That competitive spirit worked in his favor as he became a 2-time state wrestling champion in Alaska. ‘The Gentleman’s wrestling prowess would help him become a 2-time NAIA All-American wrestler as well. And guess what? He’s found great success in MMA as well.

Out of his 14 fights so far, the 34-year-old veteran has 12 wins, with seven of them coming via finishes – four knockouts and three submissions. On the other hand, he’s lost just twice, which is similar to fellow former Bellator fighter Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who also had 2 losses before debuting in the UFC. It now remains to be seen if Vanderford can make the same kind of noise ‘Venom’ did after jumping ship from a rival promotion.

As we all know, the light may be bright in all the promotions, but fighting inside the UFC’s Octagon is a whole other ball game altogether. Kai Asakura is a perfect example of that claim. What do you think awaits Austin Vanderford this weekend – a win or a loss? Drop your comments below.