Russian kickboxer Artem Vakhitov, who previously defeated the current UFC champion in the Glory League Alexa Pereiro in an interview with , he assessed his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
In the Glory League, Vakhitov and Pereira had two fights in which they won by judges’ decisions. After the second fight, in which Pereira lost to Vakhitov, the Brazilian fighter joined the UFC and became champion there in categories up to 84 and up to 93 kg. In 2023, Vakhitov also made his MMA debut and did not rule out his appearance in the UFC in the near future.
– What will happen if you now fight with Alex Pereira without a fight, but wearing MMA gloves?
– Well, now, precisely in these gloves, I myself have changed. Because in kickboxing, I could take hits, counterattack, surpass. But this is unacceptable with MMA gloves. They are small – they will always fit through any crack in the defense. But I also see very clearly how Pereira has big gaps in defense. It can be said that he has no protection. Zero. Only attack. And this can be seen in a fight, for example, with Adesanya, where Israel simply read him and took him apart. When Pereira starts to attack, he always has his hands down and his head is unprotected. And Adesanya struck after his attack, somewhere in the ear or neck area, and that’s it, this blow was decisive.
And many of those who now box with Pereira are not basic kickboxers, nor basic strikers, it is difficult for them to understand and read him in a fight. Yes, he has a punch, the same one he used to knock out everyone in kickboxing. But if you take it down correctly, you can easily beat Alex. In principle, I said, I was ready to put forward my candidacy even at UFC 300. I think that if I write to Dana White that I am ready to take on this fight, there will be no problems. It seems to me that if we meet Alex Pereira in MMA, it will be an excellent continuation of our fights in kickboxing, ”Vakhitov told .
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
