Artem Vakhitov, the last fighter to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing and currently helping Ciryl Gane with training preparation, stated in a recent interview that Pereira will lose because he has gained too much muscle mass. The post also includes other MMA news snippets, including Jiri Prochazka responding to Ulberg's accusations by calling him a "stripper," Carlos Prates having a face-off with his daughter and Maddalena, Islam Makhachev confirming he started camp for his next bout, and Hamzat Chimaev dismissing Sean Strickland's trash talk as circus performance. Colby Covington also complained about lack of UFC promotion and expressed interest in fighting for RAF.
Artem Vakhitov, the last man to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing and currently working as a training partner in Ciryl Gane's camp, has gone on record predicting that Pereira will eventually lose inside the octagon because he has added too much muscle mass to his frame.
Vakhitov's comments come from a recent interview in which he argued that Pereira's physical transformation has worked against him rather than for him, a notable claim given that Vakhitov holds a rare distinction as one of the few fighters to have handed Pereira a defeat at any level of combat sports.
The same news cycle brought several other notable moments from around the MMA world. Jiri Prochazka, the 33-year-old Czech light heavyweight ranked second in his division with a 32-6-1 record, fired back at accusations from Brendson Ribeiro Ulberg by calling him a "stripper" — a sharp exchange that keeps the 191 cm, 203 cm-reach striker in the spotlight between fights.
Islam Makhachev, the welterweight champion carrying a 28-1-0 record and the top pound-for-pound ranking, confirmed he has begun training camp for his next bout. The 34-year-old Russian is one of the sport's most complete grapplers, averaging 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts in the same span.
Middleweight champion Sean Strickland, 35, with a 31-7-0 record, was targeted by trash talk from Hamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev publicly dismissed Strickland's response as nothing more than a circus performance. Strickland lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute and carries a 76-inch reach.
Why it matters
- Vakhitov's unique history with Pereira gives his criticism added weight in light heavyweight circles
- Makhachev confirming camp signals the welterweight title picture is moving forward
- Prochazka and Chimaev's verbal exchanges keep the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions active in the media
