Ciryl Gane is training with former rival Alex Pereira. The Brazilian comments: Let him tell him that I am…

Alex Pereira addressed the news that Ciryl Gane has invited Artem Vakhitov to his camp. The Russian knows “Poatan” very well from his kickboxing days, where he shared the ring with him twice.

The Brazilian will soon face another historic opportunity. The former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion will try to reach for the interim belt of the royal division. If he succeeds, he would make an even stronger mark in the history of the largest MMA organization in the world.

The task, however, will not be easy. On the other side of the octagon will stand Ciryl Gane, a fighter who has been among the top heavyweights for years. The Frenchman has been close to the championship belt several times before, but each time something was missing. Particularly painful for him was his last attempt, when his fight with Tom Aspinall ended with a No Contest result after an accidental finger to the Englishman’s eye.

Gane reached out to former rival Pereira

“Bon Gamin” is doing his best to prepare for the clash with Pereira. One of the most interesting moves was to invite Artem Vakhitov to the camp. The Russian twice faced the Brazilian back in the days of their kickboxing careers. The first fight was won by Pereira, in the second Vakhitov was better.

On paper, such a move may seem very logical. Vakhitov knows “Poatan’s” style, his timing, the way he moves and his ring habits. Pereira himself, however, does not seem particularly concerned about his former rival helping Gane.

In an interview with UFC, the Brazilian stressed that MMA and kickboxing are two different worlds, and that he is a completely different fighter today than he was a few years ago.

– MMA and kickboxing are different sports. I’m not the same fighter as when I fought Vakhitov. I have evolved a lot. Maybe Gane thinks that Vakhitov can give him some useful information, but at the end of the day he will be the one in the cage with me. If Artem Vakhitov is sincere, he will tell him the most important point: “be very careful with this guy, because he is fucking tough”.

Pereira’s words perfectly reflect the confidence that the Brazilian has been famous for over the years. “Poatan” realizes that Gane will be one of the most technical rivals he has faced in MMA, but at the same time he does not intend to give too much importance to Vakhitov’s presence in the Frenchman’s camp.

If the Brazilian wins, he will add another belt to his legacy and become one of the most unique fighters in UFC history. Gane, on the other hand, will get another chance to finally break the championship curse and reach for the title that has eluded him for years.