After giving the go-ahead for hiring, Poatan talks to former rival behind the scenes at UFC: 'He owes me one'

Alex Poatán and Artem Vakhitov in a kickboxing duel (Photo: Disclosure/GLORY)

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Alex Poatán officially has a new rival in the UFC. It's not about Jon Jones, Tom aspinall And much less Israel adesanya. In fact, the name of the moment is the kickboxers Artem Vakhitov. After win the contract With the biggest MMA organization having won the 'Contender Series' last Tuesday (8), the two former adversaries had a conversation backstage at Apex.

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During the chat, published by the American website 'MMA Junkie', Vakhitov said he had a lot of respect for the light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg), and said he was interested in facing him in the future. However, he made it clear that the situation between the two was limited to the sports sphere. Poatan, on the other hand, jokingly responded that the Russian was 'owing him one'.

The joke was made in reference to the UFC president's statement when announcing the signing of the Russian. Even with the victory still in the first round, Dana White confirmed the Brazilian's influence on his decision.

“Obviously you did the job, you got the stoppage. You’re 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.

Alex Poatan vs Artem Vakhitov

Alex Poatán and Artem Vakhitov faced each other twice in kickboxing in 2021, with each winning one fight. Since then, both have transitioned to MMA. With the victory in the 'Contender Series', the Russian reached his third professional triumph in his fourth fight. Neither fight went past the first round.