Former WSOF heavyweight champ Blagoi Ivanov signs with UFC

Following in the footsteps of Justin Gaethje, Marlon Moraes, and David Branch, former WSOF heavyweight champion Blagoi Ivanov is headed to the UFC.

Ivanov has signed with the premier MMA promotion and is expected to make his debut in the Octagon this summer, MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported Wednesday night. The UFC has not yet confirmed the news at the time of writing.

It’s not clear at this time who the UFC plans on booking Ivanov against first.

Ivanov most recently competed for PFL, formerly WSOF. Ivanov won the WSOF title in 2015, then defended it three times. His list of recent foes include former UFC fighters Shawn Jordan, whom he knocked out in the first round in 2017, and Josh Copeland, whom he beat by unanimous decision in 2016.

Ivanov lost the championship when WSOF last year changed ownership and turned into PFL, a tournament-based MMA league. PFL launches its tournament format in June across six weight classes. Champions at the end of the year win $1 million.

It appears that Ivanov, though, had less interest in competing for PFL than the UFC. He recently parted ways with his longtime home, allowing his UFC signing to happen, the report stated.

Ivanov, 31, holds a professional MMA record of 16-1, 1 NC. He has also competed for Bellator, dating back to 2011. His only loss came to the hands of current UFC heavyweight contenderAlexander Volkov.