Michael Bisping thinks it’s only a matter of time earlier than new UFC signee Artem Vakhitov is difficult Alex Pereira for the sunshine heavyweight title.
Vakhitov earned a contract with the UFC following a big first-round knockout against Islem Masraf on Tuesday’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Sequence.
Earlier than making the transfer to MMA final yr, Vakhitov was a former GLORY Kickboxing champion and simply so occurs to be the final man to have crushed Pereira within the sport earlier than ‘Poatan’ moved onto combined martial arts.
If the story sounds acquainted, don’t be shocked. Pereira fought two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya beneath the GLORY banner twice and brutally KO’d the ‘Stylebender’ of their second encounter. Adesanya moved on to MMA months later.
With historical past seemingly repeating itself, Bisping thinks it’s only a matter of time earlier than Vakhitov works his method up the ranks and challenges Pereira for UFC gold.
“ I feel he might do it, I feel he’s received the potential” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He’s started working on the takedown protection. he’s received to get used to the little gloves. he’s received to get used to individuals with offbeat rhythms as a result of MMA strikers are a bit completely different to polished kickboxers but when he can try this.
“If he can do the work and apply himself, I feel he might have a really brilliant future and we might see that battle sooner or later down the road.”
Bisping sees the UFC pushing Artem Vakhitov the identical method they pushed alex pereira
Like they did with Pereira, Bisping expects the UFC to push Vakhitov quick. Poatan’ infamously earned his first title alternative after simply three fights contained in the Octagon.
If Vakhitov can string collectively a number of spectacular wins, it’s protected to imagine that the promotion will attempt to wedge him into the title image and capitalize on the built-in story between the 2 heavy hitters.
“It’s going to be fascinating to see who they match him up with first,” Bisping continued. “But when he goes on, let’s say, a four-or five-fight streak, the place he goes out and he knocks individuals out, then in fact there’s an enormous battle on our palms, and I’m positive Alex Pereira the entire time goes to be prepared him on as a result of he desires to get him again. He desires to earn money.”
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