Artem
Vakhitov doesn’t think Alex
Pereira is naturally built for heavyweight.
Pereria is scheduled to fight Ciryl Gane
for the interim heavyweight title at
UFC White House on June 14. Vakhitov, the last man to beat
Pereira in kickboxing, recently trained with Gane. While Vakhitov
was previously skeptical about Gane, he has now changed his mind
about “Bon Gamin.” Vakhitov is impressed with Gane’s overall
skillset and favors the Frenchman to beat “Poatan.”
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“Before I came to train with Ciryl Gane,
I was a little suspicious regarding his style, his preparations,”
Vakhitov told Standmeup. “But when I went there, I really
felt that the guy is totally on a different level. When I saw his
team, how he was preparing, how he did everything well, his timing,
feeling the distance, stamina, his striking, he has everything. Now
he has to work on his psychological and mental things. Now I’ve
changed my mind, I think it’s 70-30, he really can get
it.”
Heavier Isn’t Better
Pereira (13-3) won the
UFC middleweight and light heavyweight titles before moving up
to heavyweight. The Brazilian is currently looking bulkier than
ever, though not necessarily in an impressive way. Vakhitov
believes Pereira’s heavyweight move is a mistake as he is not a
natural for the weight class, unlike Gane. Vakhitov believes that
if Pereira is gaining weight to help him wrestle, it is going to be
a disadvantage in striking.
“I really think it’s not an advantage for Alex,” Vakhitov said.
“Cyril is like a natural heavyweight. But unfortunately, Alex came
from 185 [pounds] and over and over. But if he gained that weight
to feel easier in wrestling, I think it’s a mistake. Because it’s
not a real advantage for the striking.”
Vakhitov’s light heavyweight title run at Glory kickboxing ended
with a split-decision loss against Pereira in their first outing in
2021. However, Vakhitov reclaimed the title with a majority
decision win in their immediate rematch. That was Pereira’s last
kickboxing fight as he joined the UFC soon after. Meanwhile,
Vakhitov has recently been dabbling in MMA, where he holds a 3-1
record. Vakhitov earned a UFC contract with a knockout win on
tDana
White’s Contender Series in 2024, but he chose to re-sign with
Glory Kickboxing.