"They are not Israel Adesanya" - Alex Pereira weighs in on ex-kickboxing rival Artem Vakhitov's potential success in UFC
Alex Pereira recently expressed his thoughts on how his former kickboxing adversary Artem Vakhitov would perform in the UFC. Pereira argued that not everyone who transitions from kickboxing to MMA will have the same success as him and Israel Adesanya.
Vakhitov, who defeated Pereira in the latter's final kickboxing in 2021, now has a professional record of 2-1 in mixed martial arts. The 33-year-old is set to compete on the upcoming episode of 'Dana White's Contender Series' ('DWCS') against Islem Masraf, hoping to earn a contract and potentially run it back with 'Poatan' down the line.
During the UFC 307 media day, Pereira was asked about Vakhitov's prospects of success in the promotion. In reaction, the reigning champion claimed that the Russian might have a difficult journey ahead of him. Pereira also used former foe Adesanya as an example to illustrate his claim that not everyone with a kickboxing background can achieve the same level of success.
''I stopped following kickboxing, so I kind of don't know how he's [Vakhitov] doing, so I don't know what his potential but I think fighting me in the UFC at this point could be hard. People get mistaken sometimes think that it's just easy to make a story like Israel Adesanya, guys that beat me on a fight like long ago and they think that they just come here and make the same story... Bro, they are not me, they are not Israel Adesanya.''
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (17:38):
Pereira and Vakhitov fought twice under the Glory Kickboxing banner. Their first encounter took place at Glory 77 in 2021, where the Brazilian secured a split decision victory. However, in their rematch at Glory 78, Vakhitov got his revenge, defeating Pereira by majority decision.
After beating 'Poatan', Vakhitov picked up two more wins in kickboxing before transitioning to MMA. He sustained an arm injury just under a minute into his pro-MMA career, losing his debut in 2023. Earlier this year, he picked up back-to-back TKO wins to earn his shot in 'DWCS'.
When Artem Vakhitov discussed flaws in Alex Pereira's game
Alex Pereira lacks defensive striking, according to former Glory kickboxing champion Artem Vakhitov, who made this assertion in an interview with Adam Zubayraev last month. Vakhitov pointed out that 'Poatan's' stance has many flaws, and he described how a striker like Israel Adesanya took advantage of him rather than a skilled grappler or wrestler.
''Only a basic striker can [defeat Alex Pereira]. Not a basic MMA fighter, wrestler or grappler... I see mistakes, that Pereira has almost no defense... Everyone knows that there is no defense in the first round, but the attack prevails and compensates. We all saw the second fight with [Israel] Adesanya. We all saw how Israel got in. [Pereira] had his hands at chest level. In addition, he is also quite tall."
Check out Artem Vakhitov's comments below (via Championship Rounds on X):