Artem Vakhitov, who is helping Ciryl Gane prepare and is the last person to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing, stated in a recent interview that Pereira will lose because he has gained too much muscle mass. In other news, Jiri Prochazka responded to accusations from Ulberg by dismissing criticism from a "stripper." Carlos Prates did a face-off with his daughter and Maddalena. Islam Makhachev confirmed he started preparation for his next fight. Hamzat Chimaev responded philosophically to Sean Strickland's trash talk, saying he finds it amusing rather than angering and noting that Strickland acts differently in person.
Artem Vakhitov, the last fighter to hand Alex Pereira a kickboxing defeat and a current training partner of Ciryl Gane, has gone on record predicting that Pereira will eventually lose inside the octagon — attributing the forecast to what he sees as excessive muscle gain by the light heavyweight champion.
Vakhitov, who is actively helping Gane prepare for a potential rematch with Pereira, offered the assessment in a recent interview. His unique perspective carries weight given that he is one of the few fighters with a professional win over Pereira on the feet.
Jiri Prochazka, ranked second at light heavyweight with a 32-6-1 record, was also in the news after firing back at comments made by Carlos Ulberg. The 33-year-old Czech fighter, who trains out of Jetsaam Gym Brno and averages 5.69 significant strikes per minute with a 55 percent striking accuracy, dismissed Ulberg's criticism in characteristically blunt fashion, referring to his critic as a "stripper."
Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, 34, confirmed he has begun preparation for his next fight. The 28-1 Russian southpaw is one of the most dominant fighters on the roster, averaging 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes alongside a 58 percent striking accuracy.
Middleweight champion Sean Strickland, 35, drew a philosophical response from Hamzat Chimaev after directing trash talk at the Chechen contender. Chimaev indicated he finds Strickland's comments more amusing than angering, and noted that Strickland presents himself differently when the two are face to face. Strickland, a 31-7 fighter out of Xtreme Couture, averages 6.04 significant strikes per minute and carries a 76-inch reach.
Why it matters
- Vakhitov's comments are notable because of his firsthand experience defeating Pereira and his current insider access training alongside Gane
- Prochazka's public spat with Ulberg could factor into how the light heavyweight division is seeded for future title contention
- Makhachev confirming camp has begun signals that a welterweight title defense is moving closer to reality
