Nikita Krylov’s first post-UFC contest will come against former Bellator light heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton.
Krylov is currently ranked No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings.
MMAjunkie confirmed with Fight Nights Global officials that Krylov (21-5) vs. Newton (26-12-1) will take place at “FNG 68: Pavlovich vs. Mokhnatkin,” which takes place on June 2 at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. The card streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
FNG 68 features a heavyweight title fight between Russian prospects Sergey Pavlovich (10-0) and Mikhail Mokhnatkin (9-1-2). The two were expected to meet in March, but Pavlovich had a family emergency, forcing the rescheduling of the card.
Krylov, 25, recently left the UFC following a nine-fight run in the UFC. “The Miner” started out as a heavyweight but found greater success after dropping to light heavyweight, at one point piecing together a five-fight winning streak that included five wins via stoppage.
Meanwhile, Newton is a 12-time Bellator veteran. He’s since fought three times outside of the promotion, including a March debut for Fight Nights Global, where he suffered a decision loss to Artur Astakhov.
FNG 68 concludes a busy two-week run for Fight Nights Global.
FNG 65 takes place May 19 in Kazakhstan, FNG 66 is scheduled for May 21 in Dagestan, and FNG 67 is set for May 25 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Those events will not be broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.
Fight Nights Global President Kamil Gadhziev said the Russian-based company also hopes to visit London, New York and Brazil in the next 12 months.
The FNG 68 card currently includes:
- Sergey Pavlovich vs. Mikhail Mokhnatkin – for heavyweight tile
- Vitaly Minakov vs. Antonio Silva
- Nikita Krylov vs. Emanuel Newton
- Baga Agaev vs. Tony Johnson
For more on FNG 68, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
