#1 ranked amateur light heavyweight in New England, Yuri "The Russian Polar Bear" Panferov (5-0 AM), makes his long-awaited pro debut this coming Friday at CES 62 down in Orlando, Florida. The 24 year old Panferov will be taking on Gregory Smith (0-1) in a 205 pound contest after going undefeated in his amateur career, and holding the Reality Fighting and Gladius Fights light heavyweight belts before making the decision to turn pro.
Panferov recently was able to work for Bellator last week as a Russian translator, but he'll switch out his suit for some fighting shorts come next Friday night, as he looks to impress in his pro debut. The Connecticut based fighter, and Ultimate MMA product, has a ton of hype behind him, and is looking to capitalize on this opportunity on UFC FightPass, and in front of plenty of important eyes.
We caught up with Panferov to ask him a few questions before his big debut. You can check out the full interview below.
