Last man to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing, Artem Vakhitov, claims 'Poatan' is not the UFC's best striker despite recent exploits

Alex Pereira's kickboxing rival Artem Vakhitov dismissed claims of 'Poatan' being one of the most skilled strikers. Pereira has achieved the rare feat of winning divisional titles in two separate forms of combat sports. His success against elite UFC competitors and former champions has led many to believe that he's one of the greatest strikers.

Vakhitov, who handed Pereira a majority decision loss in his last kickboxing appearance, disagrees with the assessment, though. He shared his thoughts on the Brazilian's skills during an interview with Submission Radio:

"I don't think he is a really good or best striker. Because to have just one good punch doesn't mean that he is a really good striker. The real striker is someone who has a lot of combinations, and creates different opportunities. He [was taught to deliver] one punch really well. So it doesn't mean that he is a great striker. [A good striker needs to have] the distance, timing, and other stuff. So I think he is not a really good striker."

Check out Artem Vakhitov's comments below:

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Artem Vakhitov reacts to Alex Pereira's recent remarks about him - "He will change his opinion"

Artem Vakhitov also transitioned to MMA in June 2023 and has amassed a 2-1 record in the sport. The Russian fighter will compete against Islem Masraf in Dana White's Contender Series on Oct. 8

During the UFC 307 media day interactions, Pereira was asked to share his thoughts on Vakhitov's prospects in the promotion. 'Poatan' implied that the Russian fighter might struggle in the sport.

Reacting to the kickboxing rival's comments in the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, Vakhitov said:

"I saw [Alex Pereira's comments]. For now, he can say whatever he wants. But the time will come, and he will change his opinion."

Vakhitov and Pereira are 1-1 against each other in the kickboxing realm. Speaking about how the trilogy fight in MMA might play out, Vakhitov said:

"Fighting in small gloves is really like a different sport. But we have a very good and experienced team. For sure, if the fight were to happen in the future, We will do everything to be ready for it."

Check out Artem Vakhitov's comments below (2:51):

Alex Pereira defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. by fourth-round KO to secure third light heavyweight title defense. He will likely face the winner of Magomedv Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic next. It will be interesting to see if Vakhitov climbs his way to the title shot while Pereira is the champion.