Artem Vakhitov wants to settle his rivalry with Alex Pereira once and for all.
After impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series, the Russian was offered a contract in the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. However, Vakhitov chose to turn down the UFC.
Instead, the formidable operator has decided to partake in one of the biggest fights in kickboxing history.
On Saturday night, the Russian will go to war with Rico Verhoeven at Glory 100 in a showdown between two combat sports legends.
Artem Vakhitov wants to fight Alex Pereira in MMA
Should he emerge victorious against Verhoeven, then Artem Vakhitov will set his sights on Alex Pereira.
The pair have already gone to battle twice before, with ‘Poatan’ winning the first encounter, while his rival emerged victorious in the second contest.
With their feud unsettled, Vakhitov would love to dance with the power puncher once again, whether it be in MMA or kickboxing.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, he explained: “It was a very great story with Alex. People really remember it very well, and now Alex has become a superstar of the UFC.
“I’m really ready to fight him again, even in MMA rules. In kickboxing, we have our own story. It was a great story; why not make a trilogy there?
“Some people think it was not my win because it was a close fight, so I think it would be a good trilogy.
“I’m pretty sure the win will be on my side in our third fight.”
Artem Vakhitov would love to enter the Glory Last Heavyweight Standing tournament
While Vakhitov would jump at the opportunity to get his hands on Pereira, a clash with the Brazilian isn’t his only ambition, with the gifted striker keen to compete in the Glory Last Heavyweight Standing tournament.
He enthused: “With great pleasure, I would like to join. I’ve already watched the first round at the last Glory event.
“As I’ve said many times, the weight is not so important, I don’t put too much attention on that. As you could see in the last round, the weight is not important.”