Alex Pereira responds to Ciryl Gane getting help of Artem Vakhitov

Alex Pereira has responded to the revelation of Ciryl Gane getting the help of his former kickboxing rival Artem Vakhitov for UFC White House.

Gane and Pereira face off this Sunday for the interim UFC heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250.

Gane is leaving no stone unturned for Poatan. The former is preparing for the fight these days and it is reported that he is getting the help of Pereira’s kickboxing rival, Vakhitov.

Vakhitov challenged Pereira for the Glory kickboxing light heavyweight title twice; he lost the first clash by a split decision before winning a majority decision in the rematch. That fight was the last of Pereira’s kickboxing career.

However, Alex Pereira is not worried about Gane enlisting the help of his former rival, saying that a lot has changed over the five years since they last fought.

“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.

“If Artem Vakhitov is an honest guy, the most important thing he’ll say is, ‘Be careful with this guy. He’s [expletive deleted] tough.’”

Pereira will take on Gane for the heavyweight title on June 14 at the White House. If Poatan secures a victory, he would be the first fighter in UFC history to hold three belts in different weight classes following championship runs at middleweight and light heavyweight.