Alex Pereira and Artem Vakhitov Rivalry Explained
Alex Pereira and Artem Vakhitov Rivalry Explained
By Tim Burke October 24, 2024 15:06
Background
A few years ago, Israel Adesanya was on top of the MMA. He was the UFC middleweight champion, with five title defenses. He seems indestructible. However, a former rival in Glory Kickboxing, Alex Pereira was knocking on the door. Pereira defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing and signed with the UFC in November of 2021. In 2022, Alex Pereira shocked the world and defeated Israel Adesanya for a third time, knocking out his former rival and taking his belt. Two years later, Alex Pereira is the UFC's light heavyweight champion. At UFC 307, Alex Pereira made history with three title defenses in just 175 days, that is the fewest days between three title defenses. He appears to be indestructible.
Earlier this month, the UFC signed Artem Vakhitov, a former Glory kickboxing rival of Alex Pereira who defeated him in 2021.
The parallels are undeniable. Is history repeating itself? In 2021 Artem Vakhitov and Alex Pereira fought twice. Poatan won a split decision in their first meeting. Vakhitov came back in their second fight with a majority decision victory. When two fighters are 1-1 against each other, a trilogy match to settle the score is required. Pereira and Vakhitov are destined to clash in the UFC to settle the score.
Respect
Vakhitov fought in the Dana White Contender Series and earned a TKO victory. Despite getting the job done, White was not overly impressed. He believed Vakhitov clinched too much in his fight on DCWS. He was hesitant to sign the former Glory Champion to a UFC contract. Pereira actually convinced his boss to sign his former rival to the UFC. "He thinks he is talented and deserves to be here {Alex} said I think that contender series, no matter where you have fought or what you have done puts a different type of pressure on you. You might not perform the way you normally would."White told reporters at a DWCS press conference earlier this month.
Despite their intense rivalry in kickboxing and their potential future clash. There is clearly a lot of respect between the two fighters. At least on Pereira's side. Definitely, more respect than Adesanya showed Poatan a few years ago.
The narrative surrounding Alex Pereira and Artem Vakhitov highlights the cyclical nature of rivalries in combat sports, as both fighters have a history of closely contested bouts that set the stage for a decisive trilogy match in the UFC. This evolving dynamic not only underscores the respect that exists between them but also raises questions about the potential for history to repeat itself in their upcoming encounters. Will Vakhitov be to Pereira that the champion was to Adesanya?
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