Artem Vakhitov, who previously defeated Alex Pereira in kickboxing and is now helping Ciryl Gane prepare, claimed in a recent interview that Pereira will lose because he has gained too much muscle mass. Jiri Prochazka responded to accusations from Ulberg, dismissing him as a stripper and refusing to take his claims seriously. Carlos Prates brought his daughter to the face-off with Jack Della Maddalena and explained to her who the bad guy was. Islam Makhachev confirmed he has started training camp for his next fight. Hamzat Chimaev addressed Sean Strickland's trash talk, saying he finds it amusing rather than angering because Strickland is like a circus clown, and when Hamzat's friends approached him, Strickland backed down and said he was just promoting the fight.
Artem Vakhitov, the kickboxing veteran who has a victory over Alex Pereira on his resume and is currently working as a training partner for Ciryl Gane, made a bold claim in a recent interview: Pereira will lose his next fight because he has added too much muscle mass to his frame.
Jiri Prochazka, ranked second in the UFC light heavyweight division at 33 years old, weighed in on a separate front, responding to accusations made by Carlos Ulberg by dismissing the New Zealander as a stripper and refusing to engage seriously with his comments. The Czech fighter, who carries a 32-6-1 record, trains out of Jetsaam Gym Brno and is one of the most active strikers in the division, averaging 5.69 significant strikes landed per minute with a 55 percent striking accuracy.
Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, 34, confirmed he has begun a training camp in preparation for his next title defense. The Russian holds a 28-1 record and trains with Eagles MMA. He is the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport according to the AgentMMA database, and his grappling numbers are among the most dominant in the sport, with 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.
Carlos Prates added a memorable moment to fight week by bringing his daughter to the face-off with Jack Della Maddalena and pointing out to her who the bad guy was.
Middleweight champion Hamzat Chimaev addressed Sean Strickland's ongoing trash talk, saying he finds it more amusing than irritating. Chimaev compared Strickland to a circus clown, and added that when his friends approached Strickland directly, the American backed off and admitted he was simply promoting the fight. Strickland, 35, holds a 31-7-0 record and fights out of Xtreme Couture, averaging a division-leading 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute.
Why it matters
- Vakhitov's comments add external noise around Pereira heading into his next appearance
- Prochazka's dismissal of Ulberg signals no serious rivalry is forming at light heavyweight
- Makhachev confirming camp suggests his next welterweight title defense is moving closer to announcement
- The Chimaev-Strickland exchange hints at a potential middleweight collision that both sides are already talking around
