NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s first amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) world champion Maria Agapova has been invited to the second main fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series July 30 in Las Vegas. The winner will sign a contract with the world promoter.
Agapova (6-0) will meet Tracy Cortes (5-1), Arizona’s (United States) freestyle wrestling and grappling champion.
“We were going to do this with my team for a very long time. I hope that I will become the first girl from Kazakhstan to get into the UFC. Dana White, salam alaykum! Akhmat (Agapova’s MMA fight club) is strength! Kazakhstan go ahead!” Agapova told vesti.kz.
“I could not even dream of it. I am glad that I was accepted into the friendly multinational family of the Akhmat Pavlodar club. It was here that I revealed myself both as a person and as an athlete. I am happy that I have not listened to anyone, only the call of my own heart, and left boxing to (fight in) MMA. Never be afraid to change something in your life. Do what you like and do not listen to anyone! Follow your dream!” she added, reported prosports.kz.
Agapova is the first Kazakh fighter to win the amateur MMA World Championship and World League Heroines in China. She began her professional career in 2015. Agapova participated in the World Fighting Championship Akhmat Fights (WFCA), Russian Fight Nights Club (FNG) and Brave Combat Federation (BCF) tournaments, meeting fighters such as Yulia Kutsenko, Darya Kutuzova and Yulia Litvintseva.
