Artem Vakhitov has a chance to secure a UFC contract when he competes on Contender Series on October 8, but before he even steps into the octagon for the first time, he's caught the attention of light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

The former rivals, who met twice in GLORY with Vakhitov securing the final win over Pereira before leaving the promotion to sign with the UFC, have already engaged in a war of words. As Vakhitov makes his transition into MMA – with a 2-1 record almost identical to Pereira's when he joined the UFC roster – he will be getting plenty of eyes on his fight next Tuesday night.

While he still needs to perform and impress the UFC executives in attendance to secure a contract, Vakhitov knows Pereira is already looking over his shoulder.

“I didn’t ask him for attention, but he already knows that he lost to me twice,” Vakhitov said of Pereira when speaking to MMA Fighting. “It worries him a little bit.

“It’s definitely very interesting for fans all over the world. Let's look to the future. I think we can do it.”

Much like Pereira, who signed with the UFC largely on the back of his victories over then-kickboxing champion Israel Adesanya, Vakhitov knows he has the edge over the competition when it comes to a quick climb up the rankings.

What's more, the 33-year-old Russian doesn't believe there are many strikers anywhere near Pereira's level on the feet, which is another reason why he wants to make a splash with his arrival.

“You see now he beats all the guys with ease now,” Vakhitov said. “Obviously they really needed someone who could beat him with that distinctive style. I think we will soon see who the best striker is.”

Because he shares so much history with Pereira thanks to these back-to-back fights in 2021, Vakhitov enters Contender Series with a much brighter spotlight than the average contestant.

That might intimidate some fighters, but Vakhitov is not one of them.

“I don’t get any pressure,” Vakhitov said. “I just have it my way. My goal and my focus is certainly just on Dana White’s Contender Series. If I get Pereira in the future, I will show a great fight and hope we meet in the octagon soon.

“I thought that without Dana White's Contender Series I could go straight into the UFC, but it's still a very good opportunity for me. A great opportunity to get there. I will take advantage of this opportunity and will definitely only show great fights in the future. I think it’s a very good opportunity for me.”

In addition to his training at home in Russia, Vakhitov has also spent a lot of time training at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, the same gym where notable UFC fighters such as Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns and Michael Chandler train.

The transition from kickboxing to MMA is never easy, but Vakhitov believes he has already learned a lot and continues to add more weapons to his arsenal.

“From the beginning, I started working on defending takedowns, things that would help me defend against people on the ground,” Vakhitov said. “I have a couple of camps in Moscow and here in (Florida), so I’m already experienced and a lot of quality guys are training with us.

“This experience has definitely helped me and I am becoming more and more interested in this topic. It looks like the transition is going well and we're still working on it. We continue to work on it.”

Assuming he wins next Tuesday and UFC CEO Dana White offers him a contract, Vakhitov doesn't expect to be given a fight against Pereira right away.

Vakhitov has no problem earning the chance to face his old opponent again, but until then, he will continue to push for Pereira to retain his title – just like he did in his last defense against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 .

“For Alex to win, that’s all I can wish for him,” said Vakhitov. “Just keep winning and I hope we see each other again soon. He’ll just have to wait for me.”