Artem Vakhitov, who was the last fighter to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing and is currently helping Ciryl Gane with his preparation, stated in a recent interview that Pereira will lose his next fight because he has gained too much muscle mass. The post also covered several other MMA news items: Jiri Prochazka responded to Alexander Ulberg's accusations of being fake by calling Ulberg a stripper, Carlos Prates did a face-off with his daughter against Jack Della Maddalena, Islam Makhachev confirmed he has started training camp for his next fight, and Khamzat Chimaev responded to Sean Strickland's trash talk by comparing him to a circus clown and noting that Strickland's friends reported he privately admits to just promoting fights. Colby Covington also complained about UFC's lack of promotional support and expressed willingness to compete in RAF.
Artem Vakhitov, the last man to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing and a current training partner of Ciryl Gane, has gone on record predicting that Pereira will lose his next UFC fight, citing what he described as excessive muscle gain as the reason for the champion's coming undoing.
Vakhitov's comments arrived as part of a wider round of fighter chatter that also drew in several prominent names from across the UFC roster.
Jiri Prochazka, the 33-year-old Czech light heavyweight ranked second in the division with a 32-6-1 professional record, fired back at Alexander Ulberg after Ulberg publicly accused him of being fake. Training out of Jetsaam Gym Brno, the six-foot-three southpaw-turned-orthodox striker — who lands an impressive 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy — dismissed Ulberg by calling him a stripper.
Khamzat Chimaev entered the news cycle by responding to trash talk from middleweight champion Sean Strickland, comparing the American to a circus clown and claiming that Strickland's own friends have admitted he privately acknowledges he is simply promoting fights. Strickland, 35, carries a 31-7-0 record and fights out of Xtreme Couture, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute.
Islam Makhachev, the 34-year-old welterweight champion from Russia with a 28-1-0 record, confirmed he has begun training camp for his next fight. Fighting out of Eagles MMA, the southpaw is one of the sport's most dangerous grapplers, averaging 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Vakhitov's unique credibility as Pereira's last kickboxing conqueror lends his physical assessment more weight than typical outside commentary
- Prochazka's public clash with Ulberg could accelerate a matchup in a light heavyweight division where the Czech sits just one spot outside title contention
- Makhachev confirming camp has begun signals that the welterweight title picture will clarify soon
- Colby Covington's complaints about UFC promotional support and his stated openness to competing in RAF add another variable to an already crowded welterweight landscape
