Prospect in the Spotlight (Oct 11-12): Artem Vakhitov

Introduction

Tuesday, September 8th, Russian light heavyweight prospect Artem Vakhitov will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Islem Masraf. He will be looking for another win, as Vakhitov looks to score a contract with the UFC. He represents Kuzbass Muay Thai Federation, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Kickboxing: Vakhitov is a world-class striker and former Glory Kickboxing Champion who is following the Alex Pereira route to MMA. In fact, speaking of Pereira, Vakhitov owns a victory over the now-UFC champ in the kickboxing world, which is adding to the Russian’s hype. He is excellent on the feet in all facets, from his movement to his feints to his power to his technical ability. He has brutal kicks, especially seen in his last MMA bout where he finished Valisher Khambaev with low kicks. There will be few that have the striking prowess of Vakhitov in the cage and I am sure the UFC would love to get him in the cage with Alex Pereira if he’s able to string together a few more wins.

Needs Improvement

Unproven Against Wrestlers: Vakhitov’s striking is his obvious strength, so the opposite can be said about his grappling. He will use his wrestling to stay on the feet, but to this point, he’s yet to take on a credible wrestler at the level you will see in the major leagues. He may seen some attempts at wrestling from his current opponent Islem Masraf, but it’s nothing like he could see in the UFC.

Outlook

UFC Attraction: Vakhitov has a ton of hype behind him because of his professional kickboxing/Muay Thai career and win over Alex Pereira. He’s clearly a guy the UFC is setting up to bring onto their roster because they know he could have some worth in that regard. He’s also a world-class striker and a lot of top kickboxers have been successful in crossing over to the UFC. I think Vakhitov should defeat Masraf in this contest and get signed to the UFC. From there, we will see how far the 33-year-old striker can go.