Tag: Michel Pereira

Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez booked for Noche UFC at Sphere

The first fight on Noche UFC has been booked with Michael Pereira taking on Anthony Hernandez.

The first booking for the second-ever Noche UFC event is in.

A middleweight matchup between fan-friendly fighters [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] has been added to the highly-anticipated event, which will take place Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The card celebrates Mexican Independence Day, which is Sept. 16.

Pereira announced the news on his social media on Tuesday, and MMA Junkie also confirmed the booking with sources.

Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is looking to add to his impressive run, as he’s on an eight-fight winning streak, with half of those victories coming by stoppage. The Brazilian is quickly rising up the middleweight ranks. He moved up from welterweight in 2023 and has since picked up three straight wins. Pereira last fought in May when he quickly submitted Ihor Potieria.

Hernandez (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is also in a tear like Pereira. Unbeaten in his past five outings, Hernandez has picked up three submission and one TKO win. He most recently competed in February when he submitted Roman Kopylov to win a Performance of the Night bonus.

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MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month for May: Anthony Smith’s first career guillotine halts unbeaten run

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2024.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for May.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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Nominees

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) put away Ihor Pereira (21-6 MMA, 2-4 UFC) just 54 seconds into their middleweight bout for his eighth win in a row inside the octagon.

Pereira came out and quickly dropped Potieria with a one-two combination. At that moment, in true Pereira fashion, he decided to backflip onto his stunned opponent. Potieria tried to quickly get back to his feet but left himself open for a standing guillotine choke that Pereira locked in tight, forcing the tap just before Potieria fell to sleep.

[autotag]Mansour Barnaoui[/autotag] (21-6) thrilled the French crowd with a slick finish of Yusuke Yachi (26-13) in the opening round of their lightweight bout.

On a two-fight losing skid, Barnaoui bounced back when he needed it most by locking in a D’Arce choke on Yachi that led to the tap.

Add [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] (15-3) to the list of fighters to successfully pull off a Von Flue choke in a major promotion, this time at the expense of Gregory Babane (23-12).

In a middleweight bout, van Steenis put Babene to sleep with the rare submission to punch his ticket to a shot at a Bellator title.

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (17-13 MMA, 12-13 UFC) finally has a submission victory on her professional record, but that wasn’t all against Luana Pinheiro (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

Hill, a UFC strawweight veteran, put a nice feather in her cap at while also securing the most wins in the division’s history by tapping Pinheiro with a mounted guillotine choke at the midway point of the third round.

Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (38-19 MMA, 13-9 UFC) proved he isn’t done yet when he took the undefeated record of Vitor Petrino (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in their light heavyweight bout.

After a feeling out process on the feet at distance, the two light heavyweights engaged in the clinch. Smith grabbed a hold of Petrino’s neck with a guillotine attempt. Petrino elevated Smith and they crashed to the canvas. Smith’s grip seemed to deepen. Petrino strained before the panic tap came.

Smith, 35, rebounds from a knockout loss to Khalil Rountree and moves to 2-1 in his most recent three bouts. Petrino, 26, loses for the first time as a professional.

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UFC’s Michel Pereira assisting rescue efforts after massive floods in Brazil

UFC star Michel Pereira has been navigating deep flood waters in Brazil to assist residents and save animals.

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag], one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC’s roster, has been lending his hands in a helpful manner following severe flooding in Brazil.

Over the past week, heavy rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul has led to devastating flooding, claiming the lives of over 100 people, and leading to more than 160,000 people seeking shelter due to damage. Many emergency services have worked tirelessly in rescue efforts, including Brazil’s Pereira.

Just days after recording a dramatic first-round submission at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, the UFC middleweight has shifted his focus from fighting to saving lives.

In multiple videos posted to his social media accounts, Pereira and others in his rescue groups have navigated flood waters in boats and jet skis, assisting residents and rescuing stranded animals while working through waters up to 10 feet deep.

“Another day of battle around here,” Pereira wrote in Portuguese on Instagram Wednesday.  “Today, there were more than 15 animals saved from this immensity of water. The scenes I’m seeing are heartbreaking even the roughest like me, but I follow my purpose of helping those who need it most. We are one people. We are Brazilians.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7AfCdatU5E/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

In another post Wednesday, Pereira expressed sadness about the devastating situation in his home country, but found relief in successful rescues of more animals that were left stranded in homes.

“We’re several days into this seemingly never-ending struggle,” Pereira wrote in another Instagram post. “The water stinks. Water hurts from being cold Water makes everything difficult But today alone, 26 dogs and 3 guinea pigs were rescued. We’re here for you. Let’s get this out of here. Keep donating, keep supporting.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7ArmQENKGd/

Rio Grande do Sul is about 924 miles away from the site of Pereira’s most recent fight in Rio de Janeiro. The state’s capital of Porto Alegre, home to 1.3 million people, and Canoas, a municipality of the Greater Porto Alegre area, have experienced the deepest flood waters. Residents currently have no electricity and are experiencing shortages of clean water and other necessities.

Unfortunately, more rain is forecasted in the coming days, which will likely result in more flooding and delayed emergency assistance.

Pereira is asking for donations to support the ongoing rescue efforts. As an incentive, he will give away his jacket and fight-worn gloves from UFC 301.

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Michel Pereira, Roman Dolidze give conflicting perspectives on potential UFC booking

Reports of Michel Pereira making another quick turnaround to fight Roman Dolidze at UFC Louisville appear to have jumped the gun.

Reports of [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] making another quick turnaround to fight [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night in Louisville, Ky., appear to have jumped the gun.

Following his 54-second finish at UFC 301 this past weekend, Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was reported to meet Dolidze (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a three-round middleweight bout.

However, on Friday, Pereira took to social media to explain that he never signed a contract or even verbally agreed to the matchup, mainly because Dolidze is a teammate and training partner at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

“I didn’t accept that fight, OK?” Pereira said in Portuguese (HT: Ag Fight). “That man, he trains with me every day. He trains with me at UFC P.I. He trains at Xtreme Couture and he fights. Got it? He accepted and I didn’t. For me, now is not the time to fight him. If he accepted, that’s his problem.

“I was even surprised when he accepted. I didn’t accept this fight, OK? Got it? I said if it was someone else I would take it. But as it is with him, now is not the time for me to fight him yet. Because for me, he was my friend, my training partner, for me, in my head. But I saw then that’s it’s not. … Since we train, I’d have to look for another gym to train at. I’d have to organize myself to do a fight with him.”

Brazil’s Pereira is coming off a first-round, bonus-earning submission victory over Potieria at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. The one-month turnaround would’ve been the fastest of his UFC career thus far, but now, as he sits on an eight-fight winning streak inside the octagon, his next move is unclear.

Dolidze appeared to have no such qualms with taking a fight against Pereira. He acknowledged their training relationship, but the Georgian was under the impression Pereira had accepted and both sides were going to keep it professional (via X):

Yes we train together.
I was told that he agreed to fight in June 8 (not June 1 when I was originally supposed to fight ) and ufc ask me to change date. Yesterday they send me contract.
If they ask me to change date (which he asked for) and he agree of course I signed contract.

Now, though Dolidze sees his struggles to keep active continue, with the scratched Pereira matchup joining fights with Anthony Hernandez, Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson on the list of his canceled bouts since November.

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UFC 301 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jose Aldo nets $21k for potential final UFC fight

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 301 took place at Rio Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC 301 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ernesta Kareckaite[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,920,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,657,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

UFC 301 bonuses: The Force is $50,000 strong with Mauricio Ruffy

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a debuting lightweight.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to a debuting lightweight.

After UFC 301, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Rio de Janeiro. Check out the winners below.

UFC 301 results: Michel Pereira quickly dispatches Ihor Potieria with flair for 8th win in a row

Ever the showman, you can’t stop Michel Pereira, you can only hope to contain him – and Ihor Potieria could do neither at UFC 301.

Ever the showman, you can’t stop [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag], you can only hope to contain him.

[autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] could do neither Saturday night as Pereira earned a quick submission in 54 seconds for his eighth win in a row Saturday night at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. Pereira left no doubt based on his dominant performance; the only question was whether the result would stand.

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Pereira (31-11 MMA, 9-2 UFC) came out and quickly dropped Potieria (21-6 MMA, 2-4 UFC) with a one-two combination. At that moment, in true Pereira fashion, he decided to backflip onto his stunned opponent. Potieria tried to quickly get back to his feet but left himself open for a standing guillotine choke that Pereira locked in tight, forcing the tap just before Potieria fell to sleep.

Afterward, commission officials appeared to review the backflip and whether or not Pereira landed an illegal knee to the head of a grounded opponent on the backflip. Replay showed it was close but ultimately ruled a legal strike that landed on the shoulder.

With the victory, Pereira continues to be on a roll as he hasn’t lost in nearly four years, with his most recent three bouts lasting no longer than 66 seconds.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 301 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Michel Pereira def. Ihor Potieria at UFC 301: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Michel Pereira’s first-round submission win over Ihor Potieria at UFC 301.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] at UFC 301 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. (Fight and venue photos by Jason Silva, USA Today Sports)

Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 301

Michel Pereira can achieve a rare eight-fight UFC winning streak vs. Ihor Potieria tonight at UFC 301, but is there a sneaky chance for an upset?

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC 301 main card at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 31-32-2

Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria UFC 301 preview

Pereira returned to middleweight in 2023 with a bonus-winning 66-second knockout of Andre Petroski … follow-up was a bonus-winning submission of Michał Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299 in just 61 seconds … Pereira has seven straight wins and three straight bonuses … Pereira has not fought in his home country of Brazil since 2018, and never in the UFC … Potieria snapped a two-fight skid in February, but missed weight for the first time in the UFC … the last time Potieria was in Rio de Janeiro, he knocked out Brazilian legend “Shogun” Rua in the first round.

Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria expert pick, prediction

Ihor Potieria def. Robert Bryczek, UFC Fight Night 236

Serving as yet another offering at middleweight is a fight between [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] and [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]. Even Pereira should be fighting higher up the middleweight food chain, the flamboyant Brazilian finds himself in a deceptively risky fight against Potieria.

Despite his awkward grift as “The Duelist,” Potieria is a dangerous southpaw striker with sambo experience in his back pocket. Pereira may be on a hot streak since jumping up to middleweight, but he’ll need to respect both the striking and staying power of Potieria.

Although I’m tempted to take a flier on Potieria to win by decision, I’ll ultimately pick Pereira to pick up another opportunistic submission in Round 2 after realizing that he may need to rely on his grappling edge in this matchup.

Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria odds

Michel Pereira

Pereira is a huge 7-1 favorite, according to FanDuel. That makes him the biggest favorite on the entire card.

Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Potieria start time, how to watch

As the second fight on the main card, Pereira and Potieria are expected to make their walk to the octagon around 10:45 p.m. ET. The fight airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

For more detailed analysis from Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.”

With Makhmud Muradov out of UFC 301, Ihor Potieria steps in to face Michel Pereira in Rio

Despite already being booked for another fight, Ihor Potieria will step in on short notice at UFC 301.

Despite already being booked for a fight, [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] will step in on short notice at UFC 301.

Makhmud Muradov has been forced out of his May 4 middleweight bout against [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN+) due to an infection. He will be replaced by Potieria (21-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who is currently scheduled to face Shara Magomedov June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Both fighters confirmed the news on social media after an initial report from MMA Mania.

Potieria snapped his two-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Robert Bryczek at UFC Fight Night 236 in February. Meanwhile, Pereira is 2-0 since moving up to middleweight, scoring a first-round TKO of Andre Petroski, followed by a first-round submission of Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299.

With the change, the latest UFC 301 lineup now includes:

  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Stephen Erceg – for flyweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez
  • Caio Borralho vs. Paul Craig
  • Vitor Petrino vs. Anthony Smith
  • Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Poteira
  • Drakkar Klose vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Alessandro Costa
  • Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
  • Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore
  • Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai
  • William Gomis vs. Jean Silva
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo
  • Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.