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Alex Pereira recently responded to longtime rival Artem Vakhitov's recent comments about a potential trilogy fight between them. Vakhitov fought Pereira twice in kickboxing and is notably the last fighter to defeat Pereira in the sport.
While their first clash in 2021 ended with 'Poatan' winning via split decision, Vakhitov avenged his loss in the rematch with a majority decision win eight months later. However, Vakhitov made his MMA debut last year and is looking to settle his rivalry against Pereira once and for all.
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After Vakhitov called out Pereira for a trilogy fight and vowed to prove that he was a superior striker, 'Poatan' recently issued his response. In a statement translated by Guilherme Cruz (via MMA Fighting on Instagram), Pereira fired back at Vakhitov and seemingly accused GLORY of unfair scoring in their last fight. He said:
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"Hey brother, be careful with the people that are giving you this idea. The same person that is advising you has tried the same to me, and I didn't do it because I'm not stupid. Everyone knows that when they gave you the win, it's because GLORY knew that was my last fight in the organization, and they didn't want me to leave with the belt. For you to expose yourself like this, it seems that you're a bit lost."
Artem Vakhitov points out one flaw in Alex Pereira's striking game
In a recent statement, Artem Vakhitov spoke about his desire to face Alex Pereira in a potential trilogy bout and pointed out one major flaw in the Brazilian's striking. While Pereira is widely known for his exceptional striking skills and knockout power, Vakhitov believes 'Poatan' is too focused on going on the offensive.
In a recent statement via MMA Fighting, Pereira's longtime rival dismissed the idea that the UFC's reigning light heavyweight champion was unbeatable. Slamming his lack of defensive ability, Vakhitov said:
''His [Pereira] biggest weakness is that he is all attack, he has no defense. Because of his lack of defense, he is open to taking a lot of punches to the head if he’s facing a skilled striker. You saw that in his second fight with Adesanya. He got caught because he leaves a lot of openings for people who know what they are doing.'' [H/T MMAFighting.com]
