The UFC has signed Ivan Shtyrkov, better known as the 'Ural Hulk,' on a four-fight contract.
The 30-year-old Russian MMA fighter's fighting club, Archangel Michael, made the announcement on Instagram.
"Today, the fighter of the club 'Archangel Michael' Ivan Shtyrkov (15-0-1) has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC promotion," reads the statement.
"It is planned that he will fight in the division up to 93kg. The date of the UFC debut and the name of the opponent are not yet known.
"Recall that Ivan Shtyrkov had his previous fight at the RCC 5 tournament in Yekaterinburg and ahead schedule won by submission over Tiago Silva.
"Now the Russian fighter is in the 17th line of the world ranking in the light heavyweight category."
While UFC has not made the announcement official at the time of this writing, Shtyrkov confirmed the news on his Instagram.
"Many thanks to my family and friends, my team @archangl_michael and @rcc_academy, without you this moment in my life, it would not have happened! And I also thank @sayatus for the trust and work done!" he wrote.
"It's only the beginning! The contract with the UFC is signed, which means there are many interesting things ahead."
Ural Hulk has had 15 fights so far and remains undefeated, with his fight against Geronimo dos Santos ending in a draw.
Shtyrkov's last fight came against Thiago Silva at Russian Cagefighting Championship: RCC 5 in December, with him winning by submission after he locked in an armbar in the first round.
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Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Russian Cagefighting ChampionshipTopics: UFC News, MMA News, Thiago Silva, UFC, MMA
