The UTMA organization continues to be the home where Lithuania’s top fighters build their combat sports careers – UTMA has secured an exclusive long-term contract with 18-year-old Tomas Banskis, one of the country’s fastest-rising combat sports prospects.
T. Banskis signed a long-term exclusive agreement with the promotion, meaning the fighter will continue his development under the UTMA banner for the foreseeable future.
“This was and remains one of the core goals of our organization – to guarantee a clear future, consistent activity, and a fight roadmap for our athletes. Tomas Banskis was a central pillar of this strategy because he is one of the most talented and promising young fighters in Lithuania. I believe this move allows us to look ahead knowing that Lithuania will soon have another superstar in combat sports,” said UTMA CEO Viktoras Gecas.
Having recently made the move to Number One Fight Club in Palanga, T. Banskis is already well known to UTMA fans. The fighter has appeared in the UTMA ring 4 times, boasting a flawless 4-0 record with 3 early stoppage victories.
“I feel great, maybe even a bit euphoric – this contract means so much to me. It shows that I’m on the right path, the one I’ve been walking my entire life, and that I’ve finally reached my first major milestone. The significance is huge: I’m the youngest fighter in UTMA, signing a long-term deal at just 18 years old. It gives me even more motivation and will bring even more discipline so I can prove to people that I am worthy of this,” Banskis shared.
Banskis made his UTMA debut back in 2024 at UTMA 7, stopping Nedas Mikalauskas via technical knockout in just 92 seconds. Across his first three career bouts in UTMA, he never needed more than a single round. Only in his most recent fight at UTMA 18 against Edvinas Šimonutis did Banskis go the full three-round distance.
“He is still very young and needs fights against increasingly experienced opponents to truly feel what it’s like in the ring. Everything else comes down to the fighter himself, his work ethic, and dedication. In this sport, the sky is the limit – we’ve seen athletes switch disciplines and transition from kickboxing to the UFC, so anything is possible,” Gecas noted.
Undefeated Banskis makes no secret of his ambitions within the organization, aiming for the top and wanting to solidify his rise with a championship belt.
“The goals are to improve, grow, get stronger, take on tough fights, and capture the UTMA championship belt. Simply signing a contract doesn’t mean I consider myself part of the European kickboxing elite just yet – I know I have room to grow. Once I prove my worth to the fans, then we can talk,” Banskis stated.
Notably, Banskis’ new head coach Ąžuolas Zubė previously revealed that the fighter had also received an offer from Glory, one of Europe’s top kickboxing promotions. However, the young talent had no doubts about choosing to commit his future to UTMA.
“Right now, I chose UTMA because this organization provides ideal conditions to grow – I can fight in high-stakes matchups at the highest level, earn great money, and perform on cards watched globally. We all saw my Instagram post hit 5 million views. Now it’s about putting on great fights. I’m extremely grateful to UTMA for this opportunity and contract, and we keep moving forward,” Banskis explained.
“Currently, the only area where we lag behind Glory is that we are significantly younger and have fewer fighters with a long track record with us. But in terms of the terms we offer, how we treat our athletes, and how we retain them, we can comfortably compete with both Glory and ONE. The rest will come with time. It was great to hear that Banskis had that offer, but even better to know he confidently put pen to paper with UTMA over Glory,” Gecas concluded.
