Artur Miniev is officially a UFC fighter.
An undefeated Ukrainian lightweight, Miniev (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) steps in on five days’ notice for a UFC Fight Night 276 fight vs. fellow debutant Thomas Gantt (11-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on Saturday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
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Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Heavy first reported the booking. MMA Junkie first reported Gantt’s original opponent Trey Ogden withdrew due to injury.
Miniev has six finishes in seven fights, including four knockouts and three submissions, mainly competing for Fury FC. Miniev left Ukraine when its war with Russia broke out. He trained in New England with Tyson Chartier before a stop at JacksonWink in Albuquerque, N.M. He’s called Las Vegas his home more recently, training under MMA Junkie 2025 Coach of the Year John Wood at Syndicate MMA, while also traveling to Coconut Creek, Fla., to train with fellow countryman Yaroslav Amosov at American Top Team.
Gantt was a decorated North Carolina State University wrestler, who transitioned to MMA in 2023. From February 2024 to February 2025, he competed 14 times: three times as an amateur, then 11 times as a professional. It was an unprecedentedly quick run that earned him a Dana White’s Contender Series shot. He earned a contract with a sub-three-minute submission of previously unbeaten Adam Livingston.
The updated UFC Fight Night 276 lineup includes:
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Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa
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Dooho Choi vs. Daniel Santos
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Juan Diaz vs. Malcolm Wellmaker
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Rodolfo Bellato vs. Modestas Bukauskas
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Timmy Cuamba vs. Bernardo Sopaj
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Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Khaos Williams
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Ivan Erslan vs. Tuco Tokkos
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Thomas Gantt vs. Artur Miniev
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Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Ketlen Vieira
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Cody Brundage vs. Andre Petroski
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Alice Ardelean vs. Polyana Viana
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Daniel Barez vs. Luis Gurule
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Shauna Bannon vs. Nicolle Caliari
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 117 card hit with fight week change
