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Michel Pereira: ‘I Am Going To Knock Him Out’
All-Action Middleweight Aims To Shine Under The Brightest Lights Of His UFC Career In The Main Event This Saturday At UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira
There aren’t enough adjectives to truly capture the essence of Michel Pereira’s fighting style.
Does he run and jump off the cage? Of course. Does he do backflips at random points throughout the fight? Absolutely. But most importantly, does he win? For his last eight consecutive fights, the answer has been an emphatic yes.
Since suffering back-to-back defeats in 2019 and 2020, the 31-year-old Brazilian has ran through his competition, winning eight straight fights, four by finish, and collecting five bonus checks. While the first five wins of his current streak were impressive, Pereira hit a new gear in October of 2023 when he moved up to the middleweight division to face Andre Petroski.
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Without having to cut the additional 15 pounds, it looked as though “Demolidor” was in the best physical shape of his life, and his performance proved that; The first punch Pereira threw sat Petroski down just over a minute into the first round. He followed up with a handful of ground-and-pound strikes and that was all she wrote.
“The change to middleweight was so much better,” Pereira said. “It was so different because I was able to start training different, eating different, drinking different. What I’m doing right now is basically reaping what I sowed. I think everything’s been great ever since switching to middleweight.”
Michel Pereira | Best Moments
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Michel Pereira | Best Moments
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Then, in March of this year, Pereira squared off against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299 and showcased one of his best performances as a pro. Similar to his fight with Petroski, Pereira opened the bout by blasting body shots. This time around, it left his opponent wincing in pain, prompting Pereira to go for the finish.
Driving Oleksiejczuk back to the fence, Pereira landed back-to-back knees - one to the head, followed by a vicious strike to the body - leaving Oleksiejczuk’s neck exposed. Pereira sunk in a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap in just 61 seconds. Can it get any better than that?
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Yes.
Just two months later at UFC 301, Pereira faced Ihor Potieria and made it look effortless. A thunderous jab sent Potieria to the canvas 35 seconds into the round. In typical fashion, Pereira decided to do a backflip before following up with ground-and-pound. As Potieria tried to escape the flurry of punches, he left his neck exposed, and Pereira latched on with a guillotine choke, submitting Potieria in less than a minute.
Those three finishes earned three straight performance bonuses and now a main event clash with Anthony Hernandez at UFC APEX this Saturday. Similar to his Brazilian counterpart this weekend, “Fluffy” is riding an impressive five-fight win streak of his own and is looking more impressive every time he steps in the Octagon.
“I waited a lot for this opportunity to be in a main event, to be in this position in the UFC, and I prepared myself a lot and I’m going to come out with a great win on Saturday,” Pereira said.
“Hernandez is a dangerous guy. He’s got a lot of stamina, [he’s] a finisher, but I prepared myself a lot and I’m ready.”
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This will be Pereira’s first five-round fight and main event in the UFC. For someone as explosive and entertaining as he is, the possibility of this fight going 25 minutes adds an intriguing element, especially since Hernandez tends to weather an early storm, wear out his opponents and collect finishes in the later rounds. While acknowledging that it’s a factor in the fight, Pereira has one goal in mind, and depending on cardio isn't part of it.
“Fighting five rounds is different,” Pereira said. “I trained a lot and prepared myself a lot to go five rounds and 25 minutes. I do not believe this fight is going to go five rounds, but I’m very prepared to go five rounds if needed.
“I prepared myself a lot to knock him out. I am going to knock him out. I do not think we’re going to finish [five rounds in] this fight, it’s going to be a knockout before. Everything has been preparing toward knocking him out in this fight.”
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs Pereira, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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