Tag: Artem Vakhitov

Former GLORY Kickboxing star, Artem Vakhitov has once more offered to settle his differences with former two-time foe, Alex Pereira in the UFC – after the current light heavyweight champion urged him to “be careful” with his words after a recent call out.

Vakhitov, who has since made a move to mixed martial arts following his pair of GLORY Kickboxing clashes with Pereira, currently holds a 2-1 record in the sport – landing a knockout win inside just seconds as recently as February.

For Pereira, since his rematch loss to Vakhitov via split decision back in 2021, the Brazilian knockout phenom has since taken two UFC divisions by storm, become a two-weight champion less than three years deep into his Octagon tenure.

And linked with a slew of fights in his next outing – including a monstrous heavyweight move in pursuit of a super fight with current divisional champion, Jon Jones, Pereira took the time recently to issue a word of warning to Vakhitov, who expressed his interest in a trilogy rubber match soon.

“Hey brother, be careful with the people that are giving you this idea,” Alex Pereira replied to Artem Vakhitov. “The same person that is advising you that has tried the same to me and I didn’t do it because I’m not stupid. Everyone knows that when they gave you the win it’s because GLORY knew that would be my last fight in the organization and they didn’t want me to leave with the belt.”

“For you to expose yourself like this, it seems that you’re a bit lost and almost certainly don’t have a manager,” Alex Pereira wrote. 

Artem Vakhitov offers to fight Alex Pereira in UFC trilogy fight

And in response to Pereira’s reaction, Russian striking star, Vakhitov has offered to make a move to the UFC in a bid to finally settle their differences in the form of a trilogy rubber match showdown.

“It’s been great to see your success and I wish you even more success in the future,” Artem Vakhitov told MMA Fighting. “But I am sure you can understand that, for me, it’s strange to be always reading about ‘the best striker on the planet’ when in my opinion, I beat this person twice already. I would like to settle the issue in the UFC Octagon.”

After calls earlier this week for an eventual move to the UFC in pursuit of a trilogy rubber match against current light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereiraformer GLORY Kickboxing star, Artem Vakhitov has been urged to “be careful” what he wishes for by the Brazilian star.

Pereira, a former two-weight champion in both the UFC and GLORY Kickboxing, twice fought Russian star, Vakhitov in the London-based promotion – suffering his final defeat inside the squared circle against the former in their title fight three years ago via majority decision.

Prior to that, Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira would defeat Vakhitov with his own split decision win in Rotterdam, however, since the latter’s move to mixed martial arts, the two have been linked with a trilogy decider in a future clash under the banner of the UFC. 

Earlier this week, Vakhitov claimed it was time for fans of combat sports to learn about his own striking prowess, in the form of a trilogy rubber match against Brazilian phenom, Pereira. 

Alex Pereira hits back at Artem Vakhitov’s call for third fight

“MMA was always interesting for me, anyway, but obviously I am very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy fight with (Alex) Pereira,” Artem Vakhitov said. “He’s a superstar right now, and I’m 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.”

“These [UFC] guys haven’t done well against Alex because their striking isn’t at a high enough level,” Artem Vakhitov continued. “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.”

Responding to Vakhitov’s comments, Pereira rekindled the pair’s rivalry, urging the Russian striking sensation to “be careful” with talks of a third clash.

“Hey brother, be careful with the people that are giving you this idea,” Alex Pereira replied to Artem Vakhitov on Instagram. “The same person that is advising you that has tried the same to me and I didn’t do it because I’m not stupid. Everyone knows that when they gave you the win it’s because GLORY knew that would be my last fight in the organization and they didn’t want me to leave with the belt.”

“For you to expose yourself like this, it seems that you’re a bit lost and almost certainly don’t have a manager,” Alex Pereira wrote. 

Would you like to see Alex Pereira settle his rivalry with Artem Vakhitov in the UFC?

Russian kickboxing talent, Artem Vakhitov – the last opponent to beat former two-division UFC champion, Alex Pereira in the sport, has sights firmly set on fighting the Brazilian in a trilogy bout – inside the Octagon.

Vakhitov, who has twice faced Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira under the banner of GLORY Kickboxing, last faced the current UFC light heavyweight champion back in 2021 in Rotterdam, handing him a majority decision defeat.

In the time since, Pereira, who was inducted into the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame late last year to boot, has made a massive impact in the UFC – crowning himself as both the undisputed middleweight and light heavyweight champion,

Featuring just two weeks ago in the main event of UFC 303, Pereira laid waste to former light heavyweight titleholder, Jiri Prochazka, handing the Czech Republic native a second career loss since November with a thunderous second round high-kick knockout win. 

Artem Vakhitov chases third fight with UFC star, Alex Pereira

Avenging his split decision loss to Pereira with his own majority judging win three years ago in the Netherlands, Vakhitov who has since amassed a 2-1 professional mixed martial arts record, has sights set on eventually landing a rubber match with the Brazilian under the banner of the UFC.

“MMA was always interesting for me, anyway, but obviously I am very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy fight with (Alex) Pereira,” Artem Vakhitov told MMA Fighting. “He’s a superstar right now, and I’m 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.”

“These [UFC] guys haven’t done well against Alex because their striking isn’t at a high enough level,” Artem Vakhitov continued. “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.”

In his most recent mixed martial arts outing under the banner of Naiza FC, Vakhitov force an opening round, 23-second TKO win over Valisher Khambaev back in February of this year. 

Who wins in a potential UFC showdown: Alex Pereira or Artem Vakhitov?