Artem Vakhitov, who is helping Ciryl Gane prepare for his upcoming fight, has stated in a recent interview that Alex Pereira will lose because he has gained too much muscle mass. Vakhitov is the last fighter to defeat Pereira in kickboxing and believes the added bulk will negatively impact Pereira's performance. In other news, Jiri Prochazka responded to accusations from Alex Ulberg by dismissing him as a 'stripper,' refusing to take Ulberg's complaints seriously. Additionally, Islam Makhachev confirmed he has begun preparation for his next fight. Finally, Hamzat Chimaev addressed Sean Strickland's trash talk with measured calm, comparing Strickland to a circus clown and noting that Strickland privately admits he's just promoting fights.
Artem Vakhitov has gone on record predicting that Alex Pereira will fall short in his next fight, arguing that the light heavyweight champion has added too much muscle mass and that the bulk will hurt him when it matters most. Vakhitov made the remarks in a recent interview while working as part of Ciryl Gane's training camp ahead of Gane's upcoming bout with Pereira.
Vakhitov carries credibility on the subject. He is the last fighter to hand Pereira a defeat in kickboxing, giving his assessment a weight that goes beyond ordinary commentary. His argument centers on the idea that excessive muscular size can compromise an athlete's conditioning and movement over the course of a fight.
Elsewhere, number-two ranked light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic dismissed complaints from Alex Ulberg by calling him a "stripper" and declining to treat the accusations seriously. Prochazka, 33, carries a 32-6-1 record and fights out of Jetsaam Gym Brno. Standing six-foot-three with an 80-inch reach, he is one of the division's most prolific strikers, landing 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy.
Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev confirmed he has already begun preparations for his next fight. The 34-year-old Russian, now 28-1-0, is one of the sport's most dominant grapplers, averaging 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes while holding a 58 percent striking accuracy.
Middleweight champion Sean Strickland also generated headlines after Hamzat Chimaev addressed his ongoing trash talk with notable composure. Chimaev compared Strickland to a circus clown and suggested that Strickland privately acknowledges he is simply working to promote fights. Strickland, 35, holds a 31-7-0 record and fights out of Xtreme Couture, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute across his career.
Why it matters
- Vakhitov's firsthand experience against Pereira lends his conditioning critique unusual credibility heading into fight week
- Makhachev's early camp confirmation signals the welterweight title picture is beginning to take shape
- The Chimaev-Strickland verbal exchange keeps pressure on the middleweight division even outside of official booking
