Artem Vakhitov doesn’t think UFC light heavyweights are confident enough when they enter the octagon to challenge 205-pound champion Alex Pereira, but believes he could be the one to dethrone his old rival down the line.
Vakhitov and Pereira fought twice in kickboxing, with “Poatan” winning a split decision to become undisputed two-division champion in GLORY in 2021, and Vakhitov then avenging the loss with a majority decision eight months later. Pereira walked away from the sport after that, joined the UFC, claimed belts in two weight classes, and became a global star.
Vakhitov officially made his own transition to MMA in 2023. He lost his professional debut after dislocating his elbow just 55 seconds, however the Russian striker rebounded to score back-to-back first-round knockouts in early 2024. Vakhitov dreams of fighting in UFC and getting another crack at Pereira, who recently defended his UFC light heavyweight title with a second-round head kick knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303.
“MMA was always interesting for me anyway, but obviously I am very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy match with Pereira,” Vakhitov told MMA Fighting. “He’s a superstar now and I am happy for him, but when I hear people saying he’s the best striker in the world ... well, I think it’s time for MMA fans to learn about me and my team, put it that way.”
Pereira lost only once since joining UFC, falling victim to a highlight-reel knockout at the hands of fellow kickboxing ace Israel Adesanya.
Vakhitov is confident Pereira’s striking isn’t flawless.
“His biggest weakness is that he is all attack, he has no defense,” Vakhitov said. “Because of his lack of defense, he is open to taking a lot of punches to the head if he’s facing a skilled striker. You saw that in his second fight with Adesanya. He got caught because he leaves a lot of openings for people who know what they are doing.
“These other guys haven’t done well against Alex because their striking isn’t at a high enough level. They aren’t confident against him and they think he’s unbeatable, so in their heart they are already defeated before the fight starts. But I have beaten him before in pure striking competition, and I am sure I’ll do it again if we can get our trilogy match in the UFC.”
Last man to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing says UFC opponents ‘are already defeated before the fight starts’ - MMA Fighting
.png)