Alex Pereira dismisses Ciryl Gane using ex-kickboxing rival in camp

Alex Pereira says Artem Vakhitov joining Ciryl Gane's training camp ahead of their interim heavyweight title fight means nothing.

Gane brought in the Russian kickboxer, who handed Pereira his last kickboxing loss at Glory 78 in September 2021, to help prepare for Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 co-main event in Washington, D.C. Vakhitov won that September bout by majority decision to reclaim the Glory light heavyweight belt and even the pair's rivalry at 1-1 after eight competitive rounds across two fights.

Pereira downplays Vakhitov's potential impact on Gane

The former two-division UFC champion dismissed any advantage Gane might gain from working with his old rival. "It doesn't make a difference," Pereira said in the UFC's "Countdown" video, per Sherdog. "Kickboxing and MMA are different sports. And I'm not the same fighter I was when I fought Vakhitov. I've evolved a lot."

Pereira acknowledged Gane may believe the 35-year-old Vakhitov, now 3-1 in MMA with a 2024 Contender Series win, can provide useful intel. But the Brazilian insisted the only honest advice Vakhitov could offer is a warning. "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,'" Pereira said.

UFC Freedom 250 takes place Sunday on the south lawn of the White House, with the Pereira-Gane interim title bout scheduled before the main event lightweight unification between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.

Photo: The White House / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Original reporting:

• sherdog.com — Alex Pereira on former kickboxing rival helping Ciryl Gane: ‘It doesn’t make a difference’