Former Glory light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov will attempt to earn a UFC contract in October.
Vakhitov (2-1) was the last man to defeat current UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira in the kickboxing ring. Now, like Pereira, Vakhitov is looking to make waves in MMA.
The 33-year-old kickboxer is set to fight against the undefeated Islem Masraf at Dana White’s Contender Series 75 on Oct. 8 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with multiple sources following a first report from MMA Propagande.
Vakhitov and Pereira shared the Glory in back-to-back fights. Pereria took the first fight at Glory 77 in January 2021 by split decision. The rematch took place eight months later at Glory 78, where Vakhitov picked up a majority decision win.
Both fighters went down different combat sports paths following the second meeting; Pereira entered the UFC and Vakhitov competed in a muay Thai bout before competing in his first pro MMA fight.
Vakhitov has won back-to-back fights by first-round finish, and will get the chance to fight for a UFC contract later this year.
His opponent, Masraf (3-0), has not experienced defeat in his MMA career, whether as a professional or an amateur. He’s also won every fight by stoppage, only reaching the second round once.
Masraf turned heads at 2024 PFL Europe 1, when he knocked out his opponent Mickaël Groguhe in a bizarre highlight-reel moment.
