4 years in the past, a notable kickboxer transitioned absolutely into MMA with the hope of pursuing and beating a longtime rival in a special fight sport.
That man’s identify was Alex Pereira and his dream grew to become a actuality when he defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 to win gold. Now Artem Vakhitov hopes to repeat historical past, however is gunning for Pereira.
Vakhitov and Pereira are tied at one win apiece below the GLORY Kickboxing banner. Pereira gained the primary assembly in January 2017 by cut up resolution. Eight months later, Vakhitov avenged the loss by majority resolution. The struggle was the ultimate defeat of Pereira’s kickboxing profession – two months earlier than he debuted within the UFC.
There’s mutual respect between the 2 groups, Vakhitov, a two-time GLORY mild heavyweight champion stated – however that doesn’t imply his ambition to win a lifetime collection vs. “Poatan” is any lesser.
“We’re 1-1 towards one another, so the subsequent struggle would be the trilogy struggle and I believe that will probably be a giant struggle for followers everywhere in the world,” Vakhitov not too long ago stated in a written assertion to MMA Junkie. “We’re each top-level strikers. We’re throwing punches, knees and kicks continually. Watch our two fights in GLORY Kickboxing after which think about we’re within the UFC octagon with small gloves on, and I’ll be very assured for that struggle. Alex will probably be utterly analyzed by Vitaly Miller and the Kuzbass Workforce. We could have all his errors recognized and I will probably be absolutely ready to take benefit after I step in there.”
Russia’s Vakhitov, 33, is 2-1 in skilled MMA since his debut in 2023. His debut was a loss because of an elbow harm, however Vakhitov has returned with back-to-back TKO finishes in lower than two minutes mixed. Vakhitov has began coaching at Kill Cliff FC in Florida to sharpen his abilities.
“I’m engaged on my MMA recreation daily,” Vakhitov stated. “MMA was all the time fascinating for me, anyway, however clearly I’m very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy match with Pereira. He’s a famous person now and I’m comfortable for him, however after I hear folks saying he’s one of the best striker on this planet … Nicely, I believe it’s time for MMA followers to find out about me and my workforce – put it that method.”
Many fighters say they may at some point beat a UFC champion, however few are capable of. Vakhitov, nevertheless, thinks he has the instruments to dethrone one of many UFC’s largest stars. He sees weaknesses, imagine it or not.
“His largest weak point is that he’s all assault – he has no protection,” Vakhitov stated. “Due to his lack of protection, he’s open to taking a whole lot of punches to the top if he’s going through a talented striker. You noticed that in his second struggle with Adesanya. He received caught as a result of he leaves a whole lot of openings for individuals who know what they’re doing.
“These different guys haven’t performed nicely towards Alex as a result of their putting isn’t at a excessive sufficient stage. They aren’t assured towards him they usually assume he’s unbeatable, so of their coronary heart they’re already defeated earlier than the struggle begins. However I’ve overwhelmed him earlier than in pure putting competitors and I’m positive I’ll do it once more if we are able to get our trilogy match within the UFC.”
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