Now or never! In a slump, Michel Pereira fights for 'survival' at UFC Houston.

Michel Pereira celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

One of the MMA fighters with the biggest fan base in Brazil, Michel Pereira has only one mission at UFC Houston: win or win. This Saturday (21), the athlete, who is experiencing the worst phase of his career, faces Zachary Reese , in a dangerous fight valid for the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg). In fact, in case of another defeat, the situation of the 'Flying Paraense' in the biggest MMA organization in the world becomes untenable.

Michel's predicament stems from a long string of poor results and bad performances. Ironically, after finishing his successful run in the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg) and moving up in weight, the Brazilian impressed in the octagon, racking up three consecutive wins. However, now he has three consecutive losses.

The first of these occurred for Anthony Hernandez , who headlines UFC Houston against Sean Strickland . On that occasion, Michel struggled with the pressure, the takedown game, and the volume of strikes from 'Fluffy' and ended up being knocked out in the fifth round. After dominating, the Brazilian was controlled by Abusupiyan Magomedov without posing a threat. But the worst was yet to come. In his most recent appearance in the octagon, the athlete was knocked out by Kyle Daukaus , who accepted the fight at the last minute, in China, in 43 seconds.

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Therefore, Michel is under pressure and needs to turn things around in the octagon to stay in the UFC. However, the task is not simple. While the Brazilian has lost three fights in a row, Reese has been performing well and has a positive streak of two wins and one 'no contest' (no result). Interestingly, the fighters know each other and have a good relationship, as they train at the traditional 'Xtreme Couture' gym. Despite the good relationship, the expectation is that the pair will not hold back in action.

A veteran of MMA, Michel is a versatile professional, dangerous both in striking and grappling. Reese, on the other hand, is a threat in stand-up fighting because of his power. Precisely because of all this, the clash between the middleweights should be exciting and tense, with good chances of a knockout or submission. According to Stake , the official UFC sponsor in Brazil, Michel, even in a bad phase, is the favorite to win the fight.

Stake Brasil, official sponsor of the UFC.

Stake is the official sponsor of the UFC in Brazil, as well as names like Alex Poatan , Alexandre Pantoja , and Israel Adesanya . The betting platform is fully licensed in Brazil and offers complete security for you to place your bets. Click here to register.

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