After outclassing Zack Mwekassa at GLORY 35: Nice, GLORY Light-Heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov believes Gokhan Saki is the ‘last one left’ to beat in the 95kg division.
Russian export Vakhitov – training out of Kuzbass Muay Thai – made easy work of interim-champion Mwekassa, stopping the Congolese fighter in the second round of their title fight.
The match-up started excellently, with both men maintaining a heavy pace for the opening three minutes. However, as Vakhitov’s class began to shine, it was easy to see why his technical ability is so regarded. The Russian dropped Mwekassa in the second round, a flash uppercut followed by a stiff jab. Mwekassa would never fully regain his balance and after two further knockdowns, referee Paul Nicholls called off the fight.
GLORY fans have seen Vakhitov grow before their eyes, once touted as a prospect, the 25-year-old has morphed into one of the most technically gifted athletes in the 95kg weight division.
Now with victories over Mwekassa, Saulo Cavalari and Danyo Ilunga, Vakhitov believes there is only one man left for him to fight. Speaking exclusively to MMA Plus following GLORY 35, Vakhitov commented: “Yes, of course we would fight saki, he is the last one who would present a challenge to us, but unfortunately we know that he is not training and is constantly claiming to be injured, so it’s hard to say if it will ever happen. But yes, of course, he is the last one that we have left to beat at this weight.”
Despite not having competed in GLORY since April 2014, legendary figure Saki remains ranked at number two in the official Light-Heavyweight rankings. The Dutch-Turkish fighter defeated Nathan Corbett and Tyrone Spong in the same night to capture the Light-Heavyweight Tournament Championship at GLORY 15.
Saki was scheduled to return earlier this year in a fight again then-champion Cavalari, but the fight fell through when “The Rebel” reportedly suffered a training injury.
Of course, Vakhitov may have his sights of Saki but that doesn’t remove the fact that the contenders are beginning to stack up in the 95kg division. Zinedine Hameur Lain is still owed a championship following the GLORY 32 Contender Tournament and now, Pavel Zhuravlev had added his name to the mix
Zhuravlev seriously impressed at GLORY 35, moving to the number one spot after knocking-out Hameur Lain. The Ukrainian also holds a win over Saki at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Seoul. It still remains to be seen whether Saki will return to active competition, but until then the tasks continue to mount for champion Vakhitov.
