Although Alex Pereira didn’t dismiss a move to heavyweight, he claims to feel comfortable in the 205lbs division and plans to defend his title a few more times. However, in the wake of that announcement, one of his rivals from his kickboxing days in Glory FC has revealed his plans involving ‘Poatan’. As it stands, that former rival wants a trilogy bout against Pereira.

Artem Vakhitov fought Alex Pereira twice and was the last kickboxing opponent he fought before jumping ship to MMA. ‘Poatan’ lost the finale but had won the one before against the Russian kickboxer. Now, Vakhitov’s got that huge chance to get into Dana White‘s promotion with his upcoming DWCS fight. And guess what? He’s aiming to settle the score with a trilogy bout against the resident 205-pound champion after securing a UFC contract.

“We have a story with Alex, and it’s a good opportunity to face him again. It’s a big interest for me,” Artem Vakhitov stated during an interview with ‘MMA Junkie’. After witnessing Alex Pereira’s success in the UFC, the Russian fighter is also looking forward to showcasing to the MMA world what he’s got to offer as well. “I’ve seen that strikers are doing really, really well. I really want to show my striking and how we can do it,” Vakhitov added.

Well, anything can happen in the UFC because if Israel Adesanya‘s rivalry with Alex Pereira can transcend from kickboxing to MMA, maybe Artem Vakhitov stands a chance to get his due as well. However, it’s important to note that there is absolutely no bad blood between the two fighters, and the 33-year-old has made that pretty clear.

The trilogy fight against Alex Pereira is strictly business, “nothing personal”

Alex Pereira may be a reckoning force inside the Octagon, but he appears to be quite the opposite outside of it. Artem Vakhitov mentioned that he had been in contact with the Brazilian ace ever since they last fought. They never took their fighting business outside of the arena where they competed, leading the Russian fighter to reveal that wanting to fight Pereira for a third time was all in the spirit of good competition.

“It’s nothing personal with Alex [Pereira]. After our fight in kickboxing, we were messaging together and were in contact and had a lot of conversations. There’s nothing personal. ”¦ We have a very friendly relationship. I’m just wishing for him to win as much as he can until he meets me,” Artem Vakhitov added.

Do you think he’ll get his trilogy bout? Well, whatever Artem Vakhitov has planned, it all starts with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. It remains to be seen how he fares in the fight as we wait to see if Alex Pereira issues a response to the 33-year-old.