Gane recruits Pereira's kickboxing nemesis Vakhitov to crack interim UFC heavyweight title code

Ciryl Gane has brought in Artem Vakhitov, the kickboxer who handed Alex Pereira the last defeat of his striking career, as a training consultant ahead of their interim UFC heavyweight title fight at UFC White House on Sunday, June 14.

Vakhitov and Pereira met twice for the Glory kickboxing light heavyweight title. Pereira edged a split decision in their first meeting, but Vakhitov won a majority decision in the rematch — a result that closed out Pereira’s kickboxing chapter before he transitioned to MMA, where he went on to claim titles at middleweight and light heavyweight.

Speaking on UFC Countdown, Vakhitov outlined what he believes is the blueprint to beat Pereira. “What makes Alex Pereira dangerous is his stone hands,” he said. “Minimal technique, but very effective strikes that land. His weakness is his openness. He has a very strong attack, but his defense suffers. Many opponents lose mentally in the fight because they enter already afraid of him. That should not be done. You need to take initiative yourself. Go forward and be aggressive. Then he starts to get lost.”

Vakhitov also pointed to Pereira’s move up to heavyweight as a factor working in Gane’s favour. “Ciryl feels comfortable at this weight,” he said. “The fight will end early. Ciryl will finish the job and take the title.” He added that Israel Adesanya’s ability to expose Pereira’s defensive openings — landing the shot that handed Pereira one of his most notable MMA losses — showed that a technical kickboxer could find the gaps.

Pereira, however, is unmoved by the collaboration. The former two-division UFC champion acknowledged the development but dismissed its significance, arguing that five years and a complete evolution as a fighter separate him from the man Vakhitov defeated.

“Ciryl’s training with Vakhitov? It doesn’t make a difference,” Pereira said. “Kickboxing and MMA are different sports. And I’m not the same fighter I was when I fought Vakhitov. I’ve evolved a lot. Maybe he thinks the guy can give him some useful information, but he’s the one who’s going to be in there with me.”

Pereira added a pointed note on what he expects Vakhitov’s most honest advice to Gane would be: “If Artem Vakhitov is an honest guy, the most important thing he’ll say is, ‘Be careful with this guy. He’s f*cking tough.’”

The Gane–Pereira bout serves as the co-main event of UFC White House, which is headlined by a lightweight title unification fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.