Another fighter from the seaside has committed his future to UTMA – Deividas Jemeljanovas (3-1, 1 KO) has signed an exclusive long-term contract with the promotion.
“It brings both commitment and motivation to work hard and keep moving forward. The ultimate goal is the championship belt in this organization – and honestly, I’d love to hold more than just one. We’re climbing straight to the top, and that’s what we’re putting the work in for,” Jemeljanovas stated.
Jemeljanovas made his promotional debut back in 2024 when he first entered the UTMA ring at UTMA 9.
After defeating Rytis Vaitkevičius in his debut, Jemeljanovas kept his momentum going at UTMA Rising 1, securing a knockout victory over Evaldas Beleišis.
The only setback of his promotional career came at UTMA 13, where he suffered a third-round loss to Isa Gocmen. However, prior to taking this major step and signing the contract extension, Jemeljanovas had already gotten back into the win column by grinding out a tough victory against Raimondas Aukštikalnis at UTMA 18.
“Over the past two years, I’ve grown tremendously as a fighter – mentally, physically, and overall. We’ve surrounded ourselves with a great, extensive team that makes progress faster, clearer, and more focused. There is no ceiling to growth. We invest a lot into this process, and a contract like this allows us to invest even more financially. It’s a huge positive. We learn from our mistakes and keep building. I’m far from old; I still have plenty of time to keep improving,” the fighter explained.
Notably, this marks the second long-term contract UTMA has secured with fighters hailing from Palanga in recent memory. Rising 18-year-old star Tomas Banskis also inked a long-term deal with the organization recently.
“Kids raised on the Baltic coast are just built differently – grittier, sharper, accustomed to harsher conditions, true warriors. I think you’ll see more and more of them coming through. We’ve got plenty of talent down there capable of competing at this level,” Jemeljanovas said with a smile.
“It’s really great to see Jemeljanovas signed as well. Before UTMA, it almost looked like he might have even retired, simply because there wasn’t a platform in Lithuania for him to compete on. Today, however, it’s gratifying to see more and more fighters emerging from the coastal region. I’ve mentioned multiple times that the coast and Western Lithuania have a strong combat sports tradition. This addition means a lot to UTMA – Deividas has proven his worth time and time again,” said UTMA CEO Viktoras Gecas.
