Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira has been on a meteoric rise in the UFC. Following this rise, his former kickboxing rival, Artem Vakhitov, is eager to resume their rivalry. Vakhitov is the last one to defeat “Poatan” in kickboxing and now he is eyeing a potential trilogy bout in the MMA octagon. The Russian fighter made the move to MMA in 2023, recovering from a difficult start where he dislocated his elbow just under a minute into his professional debut. However, he bounced back with a TKO win in January 2024. Now he dreams of joining the UFC and challenging Pereira once again.
Artem Vakhitov wants to settle the score with Pereira
Vakhitov spoke about his desire to settle the score with Pereira in the same way the Brazilian pursued Israel Adesanya to end their kickboxing rivalry in MMA. Vakhitov stated that MMA has always been interesting to him, but the prospect of a trilogy bout with Pereira is a huge motivation for him.
“He is a superstar now, and I am happy for him, but I believe it’s time for MMA fans to learn about me and my team,” said the Russian fighter.
The rivalry between the two began in kickboxing
The rivalry between Vakhitov and Pereira began in 2021 at Glory 77, where “Poatan” scored a split decision win to capture the Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. A few months later, Vakhitov avenged his loss at Glory 78, winning by majority decision and regaining the title. Now Vakhitov wants to settle the score with a third fight, this time under an MMA octagon.
Vakhitov about Pereira’s weakness
Artem mentioned that Pereira’s striking defense is his major weakness. According to Artem, Pereira only attacks and has no defense at all, which leaves a lot of openings for skilled strikers. Ahead of the Brazilian’s rematch against Jiri Prochazka on June 29, where he won by head-kick knockout in the second round, Vakhitov attributed Pereira’s dominance to the fear he instills in his opponents.
“These other guys haven’t done well against Alex because their striking isn’t at a high enough level. They’re already defeated in their hearts before the fight starts,” said Artem.
Artem is confident in his abilities and believes he can beat Alex Pereira once again if he gets the chance to compete in the UFC. The promotion’s light heavyweight division is looking to grow and the prospect of a trilogy fight between Pereira and Vakhitov adds an interesting storyline to this, promising fans an exciting matchup if he joins the UFC.
Also Read: List of the 10 Best Debuts in UFC History
