36-year-old Alex Pereira once again defended his title at UFC 303 emphatically. This was the Brazilian’s second title defense in a matter of months’ time. However, it seems Pereira has made a habit of consistently knocking out his opponents on big occasions. With the kind of form he is in, ‘Poatan’ seems unbeatable at the moment.

But Michael Bisping doesn’t quite feel the same. According to the former champion, there is an old rival, Artem Vakhitov, who has the skill set to beat him. ‘The Count’ took to his YouTube channel to break down the fighter and share why he was a threat to the champion.

UFC insider names a new opponent for Alex Pereira who can beat him

There are very few fighters in the UFC who have had a rise like ‘Poatan’. The Brazilian has reached the pinnacle of success and beaten some former champions on his journey to the top. But it seems his throne might just be in trouble because of Artem Vakhitov. The pair faced each other during their clash in Glory and Vakhitov did manage to beat him once. One of his biggest strengths is his striking and recently shared that he can beat the Brazilian. Not only Vakhitov, but even Bisping feels he has the skill set. During his video on YouTube, he pointed out Pereira’s weakness and said, “Remember he went up against Adesanya. Had Adesanya up against the ring”. 

The former champion then pointed out how, despite being on top, Pereira lost the battle. He said, “It looked like Adesanya was hurt. Got a little reckless with the combination. Then boom what a shot by Adesanya dropped him hard and then of course the bow and arrows from Adesanya. So he’s doing the right thing. This guy Artem Vakhitov I’m telling you he had got the skills. He has got the skills to threaten this man. He knows he can go toe to toe with him.” 

Vakhitov has faced Pereira twice in his career and managed to beat him once in his career. He has openly criticized the Brazilian for his fighting style and is even confident of beating him. However, he has now gotten a response from the light heavyweight champion and it seems he isn’t impressed. The Brazilian reminded the 33-year-old as to why he won his only fight against him.

Alex Pereira responds to Artem Vakhitov and his claims of beating him

Alex Pereira has done what many fighters dream to do in their career. The Brazilian has won two belts in two different divisions in a short period. However, it seems not everyone is a fan of his fighting style. After his emphatic UFC 303, his longtime rival Artem Vakhitov came out and shared his opinion on the champ. The 33-year-old who made his debut in 2023 seems confident of beating Pereira (who previously defeated him in 2021) and said, “His 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,”. 

The champion isn’t quite impressed with the claims and has finally responded to them. He took to his Instagram handle and shared, “Everybody knows that when they gave you the win it is because Glory knew that would be my last fight in the Organization and they didn’t want me to leave the belt!”. After successfully defending his title twice, is this the beginning of something new? Pereira has never backed down from any challenge in his career and is looking for his next opponent. However, the 33-year-old is fairly new to MMA and still has time to make it to the UFC.

Will the pair meet each other inside the Octagon for their trilogy fight? Let us know in the comments below.