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Artem Vakhitov Calls for UFC Showdown With Alex Pereira to Settle Trilogy: 'Time for MMA Fans to Learn About Me'
Artem Vakhitov aims to settle his rivalry with Alex Pereira in a thrilling UFC trilogy fight. Discover how Vakhitov plans to dethrone Pereira. Read the full story!
Think UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira is invincible? Artem Vakhitov, the last man to beat him in kickboxing, begs to differ. Vakhitov has a message for Pereira that involves settling their unfinished business inside the UFC octagon. They're tied 1-1 in kickboxing, but Vakhitov sees weaknesses in Pereira's game that other UFC fighters haven't capitalized on.
With his team's help and his own striking skills, Vakhitov believes he can dethrone Pereira and become the new king of the light heavyweight division. So, will the UFC bring these two strikers together for an epic trilogy fight?
Vakhitov challenges Pereira to settle old score
Vakhitov and Pereira share a compelling history. Their first encounter saw Pereira winning a split decision in GLORY kickboxing, claiming the undisputed two-division champion title in 2021. However, Vakhitov avenged this loss eight months later with a majority decision victory. After that fight, Pereira shifted to the UFC, quickly becoming a global star by claiming belts in two weight classes.
Vakhitov, inspired by the prospect of a trilogy fight, transitioned to MMA in 2023. Although he faced a setback with a dislocated elbow in his professional debut, he rebounded impressively. He scored back-to-back first-round knockouts in early 2024. Now, Vakhitov dreams of fighting Pereira in the UFC.
“MMA was always interesting for me anyway, but obviously, I am very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy match with Pereira,” Vakhitov said. “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.”
Despite Pereira’s success, Vakhitov believes the UFC opponents lack confidence. “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,” he explained.
Check Out: Alex Pereira Edges Out Jon Jones in Pound for Pound Rankings After UFC 303 Mayhem
What's Alex Pereira's biggest weakness?
Vakhitov highlighted Pereira's weaknesses: “His biggest weakness is that he is all attack, he has no defense. 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.”
Now training at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, Vakhitov is focused on evolving as a mixed martial artist. He emphasized the importance of his team’s preparation: “It needed a striker as good as me but also a team as good as mine, people who can really analyze top-level strikers and find their weak points and the way to beat them. If I have any secret, it’s the team at Kuzbass Muay Thai under our head coach Vitaly Miller.”
Reflecting on their past encounters, Vakhitov said, “We are 1-1 against each other, so the next fight will be the trilogy fight, and I think that will be a big fight for fans all over the world.” He added, “We are both top-level strikers; we are throwing punches, knees, and kicks constantly. Watch our two fights in GLORY Kickboxing, and then imagine we are in the UFC octagon with small gloves on. And I’ll be very confident for that fight.”
Despite the rivalry, Vakhitov respects Pereira. “Alex and I know each other well,” he said. “His team and my team are in good relations, and we message each other sometimes, so I am always wishing victory for him when he fights."
What do you think? Can Vakhitov dethrone Pereira in the UFC octagon?
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