The appeal of Artem Vakhitov for the promotion is obvious: a GLORY kickboxing champ, he’s the last man to defeat “Poatan” in that sport, with their career series tied 1-1. The UFC struck gold with Pereira, who entered the company with little in the way of MMA experience, but with a resume that included a couple of wins over Israel Adesanya in their old sport.

The UFC is no doubt hoping for a repeat. It’s a story that sells itself in a way. Yet where Pereira and Adesanya had a somewhat heated rivalry, things have been far more pleasant between the light heavyweight champ and Vakhitov. And where Pereira is a knockout artist, a finishing machine, Vakhitov is more of a technical striker, something he’s admitted in advance of his Contender Series debut. Still, the allure is there, and the light heavyweight division is seemingly always in need of a talent infusion.

Where to Watch DWCS Season 8 Week 9

As always, this week’s Contender Series installment takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV and streams on ESPN+ in the U.S., and SportsNet/UFC Fight Pass in Canada. The action gets underway at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. Full results can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 Results

Light Heavyweight: Artem Vakhitov def. Islem Masraf by TKO, Round 1, 4:23
Lightweight: Kody Steele def. Chasen Blair by TKO, Round 2, 4:07
Heavyweight: Mário Pinto def. Lucas Camacho by knockout, Round 1, 1:43
Welterweight: Islam Dulatov def. Vanilto Antunes by knockout, Round 1, 2:44
Flyweight: Sean Gauci def. Anthony Drilich by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Contract winners: Islam Dulatov, Mario Pinto, Kody Steele, Artem Vakhitov

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 9 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Speaking of Pereira and the light heavyweight division, there’s a reason Artem Vakhitov is being given a look on Dana White’s Contender Series this week. Despite a record of 2-1 in MMA, he’s the last man to defeat “Poatan” in kickboxing. Hey, it worked when the UFC brought in Alex Pereria as a foil for Israel Adesanya; instead of one star, they wound up with two. It’s time to see if lightning can strike twice.

Our predictions are in for the latest episode of DWCS – here we go!

Light heavyweight, Artem Vakhitov (2-1) vs. Islem Masraf (3-0)

Notable Notes

• Vakhitov is the last person to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing.
• Vakhitov is a two-time Glory light heavyweight champion.
• Masraf has fought between heavyweight and light heavyweight.
• This will be the first time Vakhitov has fought at heavyweight in MMA.
• Vakhitov’s only loss in MMA was due to injury.
• Masraf has only been fighting for a little over a year.
• Vakhitov has yet to fight past two minutes in MMA.
• Both guys have never gone the distance.

Prediction: This is a hard fight to predict because of all the unknowns with Vakhitov. Masraf is known for his highlight-reel headkick knockout where the other dude just walked to the center of the cage with his hands down. Vakhitov only has a 2-1 record but his one loss was because he dislocated his elbow a minute in. He’s definitely known for his kickboxing career. He is in fact the last person to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing. Outside of that, Vakhitov is a two-time Glory light heavyweight champion and boasts a 23-6 record.

It’s tough to give an educated breakdown on this. I’d imagine the UFC wants Vakhitov to win because he already has the story with Pereira. It’s not as clear-cut because Masraf seems talented. He’s not had a lot of cage time but Masraf has potential. Vakhitov is a great kickboxer but MMA is a whole other sport. Not to mention, Vakhitov has fought the bottom of the barrel in MMA. This is basically a blind pick but I’m taking Vakhitov. Both are strikers so I’ll go with the high-level kickboxer. I’ve got Vakhitov by first-round knockout and I’m 55% confident.

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