Russian UFC fighter Muslim Salikhov In an interview with , he advised kickboxing world champion Artem Vakhitov to stay focused on his strengths after his move to MMA.
Salikhov switched to mixed martial arts and became the world champion in Wushu Sanda. In China, he received the nickname “King of Kung Fu”. The Russian made his UFC debut in 2017 and won six times in ten fights.
Russian kickboxer Artem Vakhitov is 33 years old, he made his MMA debut in 2023 and currently has two wins in three professional fights. Speaking in kickboxing, Vakhitov defeated current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
— The UFC now has several brilliant strikers from Dagestan: Shara Bullet, Magomed Ankalaev and Umar Nurmagomedov. They are very different, but who do you prefer technically?
— I worked with Umar, I moved, the sparring was pretty easy. I really like the way he kicks. And his brother Usman is a great kicker.
— Do you feel like Shara is interrupted in his arms in the episodes?
– He lacks hands, we must add boxing. He has very good legs, but if he improves in boxing, it will only be space.
— Now Artem Vakhitov is switching to MMA. He, like you, is a specialized striker and is switching to MMA quite late. What advice would you give him?
“He doesn’t need to pay much attention to the fight now.” Otherwise, he will simply lose his strong point if he just starts fighting. We need to improve our weaknesses, but we should never forget about our strengths. Here, Alex Pereira (a kickboxer who became a UFC champion in two weight classes – ) shows that he does not fight at all. He goes out and hits so hard that even people who know how to fight can’t do it. Especially his calf kicks (a kick to the opponent’s shin area. – “”). He does not allow them to approach him. I think that Vakhitov can also fight with the same acuity in a standing position, so that no one approaches him. In addition, if he gets into the UFC, the UFC will be interested in bringing him to Pereira, they have already fought, they have some kind of history. I think he should remain a kickboxer, just improve his defense against wrestling, not fight, but defend himself.
Wrestling is such a thing that people learn it all their lives and it is very difficult to grasp it and understand all the nuances, say, in a year. It is almost impossible. And you can learn to defend yourself so as not to be transferred or to get up. And he does not need control at the moment. He must get up and fight on his feet, ”Salikhov 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.
