Following a memorable clash with Sergejus Maslobojevas at UTMA 18, Ignas Pauliukevičius (6-1, 5 KOs UTMA) makes his return to the ring. At UTMA 19, the knockout artist will square off against Modestas Juodpusis (1-2 UTMA).
The bout will be contested under kickboxing rules in the 95 kg weight category.
The fight will take place on September 26th at the Žalgiris Arena in Kaunas. The main event of UTMA 19 will feature a showdown between Sergejus Maslobojevas and Dominykas Dirkstys.
Tickets are selling fast on kakava.lt, and the live PPV broadcast is available at UTMA.lt.
“It is no secret that UTMA 18 was a historic event that shattered records in terms of both live attendance and online viewership. A massive amount of credit goes not only to Sergejus, but also to Ignas, who is one of the youngest and most promising fighters in UTMA at just 23 years old. He brings tremendous value to the promotion because fans genuinely find him compelling and engaging,” said UTMA CEO Viktoras Gecas.
“At the same time, he puts in all the grueling work in the gym and backs it up with clear, high-level results in the ring, which never goes unnoticed. While there are skeptics who root against Ignas, he is an incredibly hard worker and a top-tier fighter who leaves everything in the gym. That is a gift not only to the fans, but to the entire combat sports ecosystem. Having a young talent who can both fight at an elite level and sell fights benefits every athlete on the UTMA roster,” Gecas added.
Pauliukevičius made his promotional debut at UTMA 11 and has been rocking the arena ever since.
Across his first four UTMA appearances, the Fightersland representative went undefeated, finishing every single opponent via early knockout.
The only fighter to break his knockout streak was Edvinas Šalkovskis; however, Šalkovskis could not halt his momentum, and Pauliukevičius extended his promotional winning streak to six at UTMA 17.
That winning run was ultimately stopped by Sergejus Maslobojevas at UTMA 18. The two athletes produced a historic moment for Lithuanian combat sports and were each awarded a €10,000 performance bonus by the promotion.
“He had time to recover after that war, and heading into that bout he was actually dealing with inflammation in his sternum, if I’m not mistaken. He didn’t tell anyone and never made excuses. Now he returns fully refreshed, and we’ll likely see him fight three times this year. I’m eager to see him back in action and watch how he responds after that defeat,” said Gecas.
Juodpusis made his UTMA debut at UTMA 10. He picked up his first promotional victory at UTMA RISING 1 with a win over Vilandas Valčiukas, before dropping a hard-fought battle to Edvinas Šalkovskis at UTMA 12.
“Juodpusis is a warrior—he accepts every challenge without hesitation and comes to fight. He respects no reputations in the ring; he just wants to compete and prove himself. We’ll see how that translates under the bright lights rather than on paper,” Gecas noted.
With only one setback on his record and an impressive run in the 95 kg division, Pauliukevičius is closing in on a championship opportunity, according to the promotion’s head.
“Pauliukevičius just needs a couple more fights, and then we might see him in a title bout. Perhaps that could even be a rematch against Maslobojevas with the belt on the line,” Gecas concluded.
Tickets for UTMA 19 are moving quickly via kakava.lt, and PPV access can be ordered directly at UTMA.lt.
