Knockouts, submissions and lots of 'smoke mix': remember Michel Pereira's meteoric rise in the UFC

Between knockouts, submissions and a lot of 'smoke mix', Michel Pereira built a sequence of eight consecutive victories in the UFC. Next Saturday (19), the Brazilian will have the biggest fight of his career against Alexander Hernandez , which takes place in the main fight of UFC Vegas 99 this Saturday (19).

To heat things up, SUPER LUTAS has prepared a special feature on the best moments of 'Chechel', affectionately nicknamed by Brazilian fans, inside the Ultimate octagon.

Slap in the face

After a two-fight losing streak, Michel was paired against Russian Zelim Imadaev, who slapped him in the face during the weigh-in.

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In the fight, the Brazilian returned the favor, landing open hand attacks on his rival's head, and finishing the fight with a rear naked choke at the end of the third round, in addition to receiving the 'Performance of the Night' bonus.

In his next three fights, Michel Pereira defeated Khaos Williams , Niko Price , and André Fialho by unanimous decision. Finally, he overcame Santiago Ponzinibbio by split decision, in a duel that earned him the 'Fight of the Night' award.

Category change

With his winning streak, the Brazilian had his first chance to face a ranked opponent in the UFC, but the fight against Stephen Thompson was canceled the day before UFC 291 because Michel failed to make the welterweight limit (up to 77 kg) . Therefore, he was forced to move up to middleweight (up to 83,9 kg).

In his new weight class, 'The Demolisher' fought three times, totaling three minutes and one second of work in the octagon. The knockout against Andre Petroski and the submissions against Michał Oleksiejczuk and Ihor Potieria earned Michel three 'Performance of the Night' bonuses.

Michael Pereira

At 31 years old, Michel Pereira has 31 wins, eleven losses, and two no-contests on his record.

Currently, the 'Flying Paraense' is 14th in the middleweight rankings and, despite having lost two of his first three fights in the Ultimate, he is in great form and will have his first main fight next Saturday (19).

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