Who won? Poatan’s last defeat, Alex Pereira vs Artem Vakhitov 1&2

[BoxerMaurits]

Alex Pereira will defend his UFC middleweight-championship for the first time this weekend. So far he’s enjoying a 4-fight winning streak inside the UFC.
His last career defeat came against Artem Vakhitov, in what would be Pereira’s last ever kickboxing fight, on September 4th 2021.

Artem Vakhitov and Alex Pereira went 1-1 in GLORY, switching the LHW-belt in two razor close, extremely high-level fights.
Vakhitov was the long-reigning champion, when in January 2021 Pereira won the title by split decision to become the first and only fighter to have held GLORY-titles in two weight classes simultaneously. Later that year Artem Vakhitov won the title back by majority decision.

They’re 1-1 in two super close championship-fights, Alex edging the first and Artem the second, though it actually looked like the majority of people thought Vakhitov won the first fight and Pereira the second (so in the end they still would’ve been 1-1, lol).

Imo both fights could’ve gone either way.
Makes me wonder what you guys think!


First fight (Alex Pereira won the title):



Second fight (Artem Vakhitov won the title back):



Here’s the official highlights video of both fights combined:




I attended their second fight at GLORY 78 live, so here’s a little bonus

Alex Pereira’s walkout (please don’t get scared from Poatan’s bow & arrow gesture and war-scream) :
https://share.icloud.com/photos/071jwbAmK_lfIKZA5QK2rYoNw

Artem Vakhitov’s walkout (Vakhitov is a pianist besides competing as a professional fighter, hence the classic music) :
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0359kDgK3w-LYrZwTa0Nr_LXw

Badr Hari getting hail-mary headkick KO’d by Arek Wrzosek in the main-event of the evening (by my reaction you can tell I was rooting for Badr, lol) :
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0cbUw_OyLPnLZLDkJwt25YcJA

 

[BoxerMaurits]

While Alex Pereira became UFC-champion since their last meeting, Artem Vakhitov just fought one single time.
He put on an absolute kickboxing masterclass though:



Looks like Vakhitov also has been training some grappling and striking with MMA-gloves

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

This was 100% a weird pair of fights that I initially had I for Artem and II for Alex, but they were so good and at such a high level, with the rematch making them 1-1 rightfully in a weird convoluted way, that I didn't even mind the judging goofiness. Hearing you "NEEEEIIIIIII" at Badr being sparked was pretty funny, but I felt the same way seeing the big guy go down to a shot that he would have eaten without an issue before. He, over Jon Jones, is the pinnacle of what a bad mental game can do to hamper your unmatched physical prowess.

 

[TacticalTijs]

These two fights are definitely in my top 10 Glory fights! First of all, what a shame there was no audience at the first fight. It definitely deserved a better atmosphere. By the way: did you guys know that on the evening of the first fight between those two, Pereira’s sister also had a title shot? (She lost by UD). The first fight was Vakhitov’s return after recovering from breaking his hand. I think he is/was one of the most fun-to-watch fighters for Glory. He is such a high IQ fighter and his kicks are truly amazing. I have to admit that I was surprised about how competitive Alex was at this time, especially about his powerpunches (I guess that’s why his nickname is Po Atan, or Stone hand). I think Alex threw the most strikes, but a lot of them were defended by Artem Vakhitov. Artem threw a bit less, but it was all technically advanced stuff and I think he landed the most. To be honest I was quite pissed when they gave it to Alex, but maybe a split decision was the outcome this match deserved. Luckily, we did not have to wait long for a rematch. Pereira started really aggressive and he looked very confident. Him winning the first 2 rounds was fair, but his level went down afterwards. IMO, Vakhitov won both matches, but Alex was close twice (Just an opinion). If he wouldn’t have been that aggressive in the opening of the second match (and did not get a point deduction for excessive clinching), I think Alex would have won the second fight without a doubt..

 

[xhaydenx]

Both close and awesome fights. I scored the first for Vakhitov, but it was razor close and could see an Alex win. I scored the rematch for Vak and thought it was clearer than the first fight, but still really close.

I could be biased though. I love Vakhitov.

 

[Ace70 V2]

They were both super close. The kind of fights where you could argue either way, but you could also not argue and say I see how you could see it that way. Pereira's skill sometimes gets overshadowed by his power. I always felt like some people couldn't see past the nasty ko. Artem is the epitome of personified technique and skill. Two extremely talented guys, that bring it in different ways. Would love yo see them fight again to finish their trilogy.

 

[BoxerMaurits]

Two extremely talented guys, that bring it in different ways. Would love yo see them fight again to finish their trilogy.

Me too man, and we absolutely deserve to see a third fight between them because the first two both were a toss-up!
Unfortunately it looks like that won’t happen though. Artem Vakhitov had the chance to sign with the UFC last year, but he didn’t sign the contract (for whatever reason, maybe low money, maybe he just wants to stick to kickboxing, who knows):
https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...alex-pereira-turns-down-ufc-contract.4265565/
It’s a shame we’ll probably never see them complete the trilogy, be it in MMA or kickboxing, because I also don’t see Poatan make a return to the squared-ring any time soon

 

[Thesnake101]

Me too man, and we absolutely deserve to see a third fight between them because the first two both were a toss-up!
Unfortunately it looks like that won’t happen though. Artem Vakhitov had the chance to sign with the UFC last year, but he didn’t sign the contract (for whatever reason, maybe low money, maybe he just wants to stick to kickboxing, who knows):
https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...alex-pereira-turns-down-ufc-contract.4265565/
It’s a shame we’ll probably never see them complete the trilogy, be it in MMA or kickboxing, because I also don’t see Poatan make a return to the squared-ring any time soon

Only way I see Alex ever going back (while still in his prime) would be if goes on a skid or something, but I doubt that happens.

 

[Liverkick-king56]

I think Vakhitov won the first fight with rounds 2,4,5
Pereira started fast and strong seeming to dismiss the power and skill of Vakhitov but Vakhitov quickly established himself as the far better fighter in the pocket and punished Pereira any time they were in the pocket and Pereira seemed to gas from missing big shots and being beat up in the pocket. Once both guys settled down Pereira seemed to have a huge advantage at range and his footwork and whenever he kept his range Vakhitov was stuck with leg kicks as his only option he made them count big time but he was still limited.
Despite this Pereira charged into the pocket too often and was a sitting duck whenever he was backed against the ropes. Vakhitov did a beautiful job here with some beautiful flow to his combinations. Round by round and overall Vakhitov looks like the better fighter.

In the 2nd fight I scored it Pereira 1,2,4... 5 seemed to be a the closest round with neither guy landing massive but both landing good clean shots.
Pereira starts with an amazing game plan to keep range and crash into the clinch to stop the flurries from Vakhitov and again Vakhitov is forced to only use leg kicks at range for the 1st 2 rounds losing both. Round 3 Pereira seemed to take off due to cardio and Vakhitov made it count by doing most of his damage with combinations from range. Round by round and overall Pereira looks like the better fighter here.

The thing I really love about this as a Pereira fan boy is despite winning the 1st match on the cards Pereira was the one that made the major adjustments. Pereira realized he was out gunned in the pocket and built a gameplan behind his footwork and advantage at range while Vakhitov seemingly remained the same.

 

[TJ Dillashank]

First fight was pretty damn close second was a clear win for Alex in my opinion but hey the had to do him dirty considering he was moving to the UFC

Also the ref in the second fight was a complete dumbass for taking two points off of Alex for literally nothing

 

[ChimRichalds]

Alex Pereira will defend his UFC middleweight-championship for the first time this weekend. So far he’s enjoying a 4-fight winning streak inside the UFC.
His last career defeat came against Artem Vakhitov, in what would be Pereira’s last ever kickboxing fight, on September 4th 2021.

Artem Vakhitov and Alex Pereira went 1-1 in GLORY, switching the LHW-belt in two razor close, extremely high-level fights.
Vakhitov was the long-reigning champion, when in January 2021 Pereira won the title by split decision to become the first and only fighter to have held GLORY-titles in two weight classes simultaneously. Later that year Artem Vakhitov won the title back by majority decision.

They’re 1-1 in two super close championship-fights, Alex edging the first and Artem the second, though it actually looked like the majority of people thought Vakhitov won the first fight and Pereira the second (so in the end they still would’ve been 1-1, lol).

Imo both fights could’ve gone either way.
Makes me wonder what you guys think!


First fight (Alex Pereira won the title):



Second fight (Artem Vakhitov won the title back):



Here’s the official highlights video of both fights combined:




I attended their second fight at GLORY 78 live, so here’s a little bonus

Alex Pereira’s walkout (please don’t get scared from Poatan’s bow & arrow gesture and war-scream) :
https://share.icloud.com/photos/071jwbAmK_lfIKZA5QK2rYoNw

Artem Vakhitov’s walkout (Vakhitov is a pianist besides competing as a professional fighter, hence the classic music) :
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0359kDgK3w-LYrZwTa0Nr_LXw

Badr Hari getting hail-mary headkick KO’d by Arek Wrzosek in the main-event of the evening (by my reaction you can tell I was rooting for Badr, lol) :
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0cbUw_OyLPnLZLDkJwt25YcJA

I definitely had Vakhitov winning 1,3 and 5 of the first fight. It was close, but he most definitely landed the harder shots throughout.

The second fight I leaned Pereira as well, but I would have been fine with either guy winning, or a draw even. I guess in the end they balanced themselves out lol.

 

[John12]

Damn these fights were really hard to score, Vakhitov seems go edge out the first fight while Poatan did better in the second and won imo. I'm glad they are 1-1 tho, that's a fair outcome for both of these warriors

 

[SalvadorAllende]

TBH I had the 2 fights for Vakhitov. Really close.. those 2 are amazing.

I hope Poatan puts Izzy on a stretcher this weekend and Vakhitov starts fighting more often. not having him active is a shame.

 

[PurpleStorm]

Cool, a useful thread so we can understand more about Perreira's career prior to this weekend's UFC rematch. Thanks @BoxerMaurits.

Mixed martial arts is a great way to learn more about different cultures and how things are scored. So, prior to watching the fights, can you or anyone reading here kindly explain in a few words or sentences how this should be scored. I sometimes get a bit confused because in ONE FC fights, they even have some fights that are scored as Muay Thai fights and some fights that are scored as Kickboxing fights and I honestly have difficulty even understanding the differences in scoring.

 

[ComfortablyNumb55]

Why isn't that other guy in the UFC?

 

[ComfortablyNumb55]

Oh my gosh that other guy is much smaller, but tough AF!

Get him in the UFC!

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

I thought Artem won the first (a better argument to be made) and I had Alex winning the 2nd.

You'll have people who say the opposite while you'll have some saying Alex won both, or Artem won both.

That is how close those two fights were.

Alex went 1-1 with a guy who is considered one of the GOATs at 205.

Anyone who say's what he's done against izzy is a fluke or lucky is a moron.

You don't go 1-1 with Vakhitov by being lucky or flukey.

There are a fuck load of morons on this site who fit that specific bill.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

I thought Artem won the first (a better argument to be made) and I had Alex winning the 2nd.

You'll have people who say the opposite while you'll have some saying Alex won both, or Artem won both.

That is how close those two fights were.

Alex went 1-1 with a guy who is considered one of the GOATs at 205.

Anyone who say's what he's done against izzy is a fluke or lucky is a moron.

You don't go 1-1 with Vakhitov by being lucky or flukey.

There are a fuck load of morons on this site who fit that specific bill.

My favorite posters are the "Yea, I know Izzy is down 0-3 to Alex, and he got knocked out twice, but he's still definitely the better striker"

 

[Ropeee]

I didn’t watch 1st fight but 2nd Alex definitely won

 

[Liverkick-king56]

I didn’t watch 1st fight but 2nd Alex definitely won

If you got time it's the more action packed fight.
It really shows the beauty of Vakhitov's game, he makes Pereira's hands look average.