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Alex Pereira is the undisputed king of the UFC light heavyweight division, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not without challengers.
One of those challengers is Artem Vakhitov, who has never even stepped foot in a UFC cage.
Who is Artem Vakhitov? Well, we’re glad you asked.
Vakhitov is a 33-year-old Russian kickboxer and the last man to beat Pereira in kickboxing. The two fought at Glory 78 in September of 2021, with Vakhtiov walking away with a majority decision. It was a rematch of a fight between the two just eight months prior, when Pereira claimed a split decision win.
But now Vakhitov says he’s ready to step into the octagon, and he wants Pereira’s title.
“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.”
Artem Vakhitov Wants UFC Fight Against Alex Pereira
Vakhitov is 2-1 in his MMA career, but his lone loss came via TKO after he dislocated his elbow in his first fight. He won each of his last two fights via first-round TKO.
Vakhitov says he knows the recipe to beating Pereira.
“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.”
Alex Pereira against an equally dangerous striker? Sign us up.