Ciryl Gane has recruited kickboxer Artem Vakhitov to his training camp in preparation for UFC White House. Vakhitov holds significance as the last person to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing, which occurred in 2021. Gane is set to face Pereira at the upcoming UFC White House event. The addition of Vakhitov appears to be a strategic move to replicate the style and success that previously troubled Pereira. This represents a deliberate effort by Gane to study the blueprint of someone who has beaten his upcoming opponent.
Ciryl Gane has added Russian kickboxing standout Artem Vakhitov to his training camp as he prepares to challenge Alex Pereira at UFC White House on June 14, 2026. The move carries clear strategic intent: Vakhitov is the last fighter on record to defeat Pereira in kickboxing, a victory that came in 2021.
Gane, nicknamed "Bon Gamin," enters the fight ranked second in the heavyweight division with a professional MMA record of 14-2-0. The 36-year-old Frenchman, who trains out of MMA Factory, stands six-foot-four with an eighty-one-inch reach and averages 5.29 significant strikes per minute at a 61 percent accuracy rate. He also mixes in a grappling threat, averaging 0.68 takedowns and 0.6 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.
Vakhitov, 35, is a Russian orthodox striker representing the Kuzbass Muay Thai Federation. He carries a 3-1-0 MMA record and a striking accuracy figure of 85 percent, landing 3.88 significant strikes per minute. At six-foot-one with a seventy-five-inch reach, he brings a refined technical striking game that evidently gave Pereira problems during their prior encounter.
Pereira, the reigning light heavyweight champion fighting out of Teixeira MMA and Fitness, holds a 13-4-0 record. The 38-year-old Brazilian stands six-foot-four with a seventy-nine-inch reach and averages 5.16 significant strikes landed per minute at 62 percent accuracy — numbers that reflect the elite-level output Gane will need to neutralize on fight night.
Why it matters
- Gane is moving up to challenge a reigning champion, making this a title fight with heavyweight division stakes.
- Vakhitov's presence gives the camp a live training partner who has a proven blueprint against Pereira's kickboxing style.
- Both Gane and Pereira are high-volume orthodox strikers of identical height, making the technical striking details Vakhitov can provide especially relevant.
- A Gane victory would make him the new UFC light heavyweight champion and shake up both the light heavyweight and heavyweight rankings.
Sunday, June 14, 2026
