Pereira being "hunted down" by 1-1 Russian rival Artem Vakhitov for trilogy match in UFC

[jj manchester]

If you follow the same kickboxing scene that Pereira and Adesanya came through, you'll know about Vakhitov already - 7-time GLORY LHW champion, absolute beast. P4P world class striker and the only guy to beat Alex at 205lbs iirc.

He's 1-1 with Pereira now, 2-0 in MMA and looking to go into the UFC on the same terms Pereira did (Pereira came in at 3-1) for what would surely be a massive trilogy fight. He's been linked with a spot on Dana White Contender Series later this year but told Russian media he believes he deserves going straight into LHW division with one more MMA win.

"I don't consider him to be the best," he added. "He entered MMA and is beating everyone, but I know his weaknesses and I can exploit that. Alex's defence is totally missing and if you build a good plan, he can beaten."

"I am totally ready to enter the UFC and to become a champion. I have a big name from kickboxing and I wish Alex to win his next fight, then wait for me. I am only improving and I can't wait to meet him again

"After I fight Alex for the third time I expect my audience to expand drastically, he is a good guy and I wish him all of the best."

via UK newspaper Daily Mirror:

Meet the kickboxing champion chasing UFC move and Alex Pereira trilogy fight

Artem Vakhitov is the last man to beat UFC champion Alex Pereira in kickboxing and he is hunting his old rival down again after switching to MMA

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Municipal Waste]

Lets go!

 

[BrockLesnarsTurtleBack]

With improved TDD techniques in MMA we may see a lot of kick boxing/muay thai style fighters transition inspired by bigger paychecks. Lots of guys out there that could become champions if they trained a few years.

 

[nostradumbass]

I don't know why more kickboxers aren't rushing over. MW and up is a grappling wasteland with a clear path to championship level without having to fight a significant grappling threat.

 

[World eater]

Vakhitov is a great fighter. But him hoping that Pereira will wait while he is just 2-0? Does Pereira have so much time left?

 

[DrRodentia]

His last opponent in MMA quit in 23 seconds after two low kicks. A truly pathetic performance.

 

[jj manchester]

I don't know why more kickboxers aren't rushing over. MW and up is a grappling wasteland with a clear path to championship level without having to fight a significant grappling threat.

Great point

 

[Sukuri Aoki]

He has great striking defense on top of great technique. If he learns TDD he could get there no doubt.

 

[rottenapple]

Nice, interesting to see Vakhitov transfer to mma. Very skilled kickboxer, not the biggest ko guy but has ultra solid defense/chin and a very high output. Hes probably a better technical kickboxer then pereira is, but lacks a bit in power. He might have been the only guy ive seen thats been able to take pereiras best shots without being fased.

 

[jj manchester]

Vakhitov is a great fighter. But him hoping that Pereira will wait while he is just 2-0? Does Pereira have so much time left?

Well Pereira came in at 3-1 (actually lost his first MMA fight iirc) and lord knows his first few MMA fights weren't the stiffest opposition.

For a company like the UFC, looking at people like Pereira and Vakhitov, they know they are looking at very high calibre fighters, they just need them to have a few MMA bouts under their belt.

If you look at the mileage they got from Pereira/Adesanya, I have no doubt that a PPV company like the UFC is could spin Pereira vs Vakhitov rubber match up into something huge.

Maybe give Vakhitov their lowest-threat LHW first as an acid test / sacrificial lamb and if he wins that, then into the rubber match.

(Cedric Doumbe also nearly went from GLORY to UFC with only a few MMA fights, but the French commission blocked him going on the UFC Paris card due to "inexperience" and then PFL offered him bags and bags of cash to sign with them instead. And the commission sees PFL as not the same level as UFC so allowed him to fight for them in France)

 

[AldoStillGoat]

Alex gonna duck that smoke

 

[don't ask]

I hope he's rounding out his skillset as much as is humanly possible.

 

[jj manchester]

He might have been the only guy ive seen thats been able to take pereiras best shots without being fased.

He does seem to have an iron chin and / or be the most stoic man on the planet. I can't remember him being fazed at all during either of the fights with Alex, while at the same time Alex was making other top kickboxers do the chicken dance with what seemed like glancing blows.

Some of the KO's Alex put on people in GLORY.... the Donegi Abena KO, the Jason Wilnis KO. Absolutely brutal. Also the one he put on Yoursi Belgaroui at MSG Theater, I thought he was dead.

meanwhile Vakhitov just ... stood in there and fired back like for like as if it was another day in the office.

 

[ElLunico]

Hope the UFC give him the same path Pereira got to Izzy. It's too easy for Pereira. Would love to see it one day, hopefully soon since we don't know how many fights Pereira has left

 

[jj manchester]

Alex gonna duck that smoke

I wouldn't see Alex ducking it but I could see the UFC wanting to squeeze more big CHAMA nights out of Alex before putting him into a fight like this that's ostensibly 50-50

 

[AldoStillGoat]

I wouldn't see Alex ducking it but I could see the UFC wanting to squeeze more big CHAMA nights out of Alex before putting him into a fight like this that's ostensibly 50-50

Shaman nights?

 

[jj manchester]

Hope the UFC give him the same path like Pereira got to Izzy. Would love to see it

Andreas Michailidis >> Bruno Silva >> Sean Strickland

Strickland win looks better in retrospect but SS wasn't considered much of a threat at the time

Was so weird to see Strickland dismantle Adesanya the way he did

 

[ElLunico]

Andreas Michailidis >> Bruno Silva >> Sean Strickland

Strickland win looks better in retrospect but SS wasn't considered much of a threat at the time

Was so weird to see Strickland dismantle Adesanya the way he did

Lol those 3 wins shouldnt get you a title fight.. We all know why he got a title shot.. Because Izzy had nobody to challenge him and cleaned out the division.

Hope they do the same with this guy and give him 2 or 3 decent non wrestlers and a title shot to give Alex a challenge

 

[NoSmilez]

I don't think it matters. By the time Artem comes to the UFC and gets 3-4 fights. I think Alex should be retiring by then. Alex is a treat to watch but he isn't going to stay champion for a long time. It is actually good for him to take fights often and rack up wins. He matches well against a lot of guys in the division outside of Ank. Ank probably doesn't take short notice fights either.

 

[World eater]

Well Pereira came in at 3-1 (actually lost his first MMA fight iirc) and lord knows his first few MMA fights weren't the stiffest opposition.

For a company like the UFC, looking at people like Pereira and Vakhitov, they know they are looking at very high calibre fighters, they just need them to have a few MMA bouts under their belt.

If you look at the mileage they got from Pereira/Adesanya, I have no doubt that a PPV company like the UFC is could spin Pereira vs Vakhitov rubber match up into something huge.

Maybe give Vakhitov their lowest-threat LHW first as an acid test / sacrificial lamb and if he wins that, then into the rubber match.

(Cedric Doumbe also nearly went from GLORY to UFC with only a few MMA fights, but the French commission blocked him going on the UFC Paris card due to "inexperience" and then PFL offered him bags and bags of cash to sign with them instead. And the commission sees PFL as not the same level as UFC so allowed him to fight for them in France)

Yes, but that is not what I asked. If Vakhitov wins his next match and then goes into negotiations with the UFC, its likely 2025 already. Let’s say he takes a tune up fight, then a bigger challenge but favorable match and then fast track to a top 10 opponent and lets assume he does all this by early 2026. Even if he gets a title shot off of a single top 10 win, Perreira will be like 39. If there is any hiccup along the way, even more. Do you see him holding a belt for that long?