Artem Vakhitov was the Glory Kickboxing champion. Photo: UFC.
The UFC continues to welcome former opponents from Alex Poatán. After Cesar Almeida e Yousri Belgaroui, it was the turn of another kickboxer to try his luck in the Ultimate. In the latest edition of the 'Dana White Contender Series', held this Tuesday (8), Artem Vakhitov won a contract with the largest MMA organization in the world after defeating Islem Masraf by technical knockout in the first round. The Russian was the world kickboxing champion for Glory, and had a rivalry with the Brazilian.
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Poatan was even present at APEX to watch the fight, which was the main fight of the program. Despite a slow start, the Russian managed to win in the first five minutes of the fight. After the victory, Dana White confirmed the signing of the fighter and also revealed the influence of the light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg) in his decision.
“Obviously you did the job, you got the stoppage. You are very experienced, you have over 30 professional fights outside of MMA. In fact, I spoke to Alex Pereira and he said that without a doubt you deserve a shot in the UFC. So thank you Alex Pereira,” said Dana White when announcing Vakhitov’s arrival at the UFC.
Alex Poatan vs Artem Vakhitov
Alex Poatán and Artem Vakhitov are two of the biggest names in kickboxing history. The two faced each other twice in the sport in 2021, with each winning one fight. Since then, both have made the definitive transition to MMA. With the triumph in the 'Contender Series', the Russian reached his fourth professional fight, with a record of three wins and one loss. Neither fight went past the first round.
Artem Vakhitov in victory over Alex Poatán (Photo: Instagram)
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