A figure from Alex Pereira's kickboxing past sees some gaping holes in the UFC light heavyweight champion's game.
When Israel Adesanya reigned supreme over the UFC's middleweight division and defeat appeared a distant possibility, talk emerged of one man whom he couldn't get the better of in kickboxing crossing over to mixed martial arts.
That man was Pereira, who now occupies the light heavyweight throne having previously unseated "The Last Stylebender" at 185 pounds. And "Poatan" is now the subject of similar discussion.
In 2021 — Pereira's final year in the striking-only sport — the current UFC star did battle with Artem Vakhitov twice under the Glory Kickboxing banner. After falling on the right side of a split decision first time around, the Brazilian was outpointed in the rematch, marking the end of his journey in the promotion and the sport as a whole.
Vakhitov, meanwhile, won a single subsequent fight before making his own transition to MMA, where he's since gone 2-1 inside the cage.
While still early on in his journey, the Russian appears to already be laying the groundwork for a third combat sports showdown with Pereira in a different environment...
Artem Vakhitov: Alex Pereira Very 'Open' To Punches
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Vakhitov spoke about his venture to MMA and unsurprising desire to work his way to a history-fueled clash against Pereira on the sport's biggest stage.
MMA was always interesting for me anyway, but obviously I am very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy match with Pereira," Vakhitov said. "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.
Vakhitov went on the break down what he seemingly percieves to be an overrated striking game, highlighting the major weakness he sees in Pereira's approach. And the 33-year-old used "Poatan's" sole defeat to Adesanya at UFC 287 in April 2023 as the prime example of it.
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," Vakhitov continued. "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.
Pereira was quick to respond to his former kickboxing rival, advising the Russian to avoid going down this path off the back of what he described as bad advice from somebody close to him.
"Poatan" signed off by recommending a Vakhitov whom he described as "lost" to seek management, and he even provided a recommendation for his ex-opponent.