Andre
Fialho will step in on short notice and face Michel
Pereira at
UFC on ESPN 32 this Saturday.
Fialho is a replacement for Muslim
Salikhov, who withdrew from the welterweight contest due to
illness. ESPN
was first to report the new bout. UFC on ESPN 32 takes place at the
UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight tilt
pitting Calvin
Kattar against Giga
Chikadze. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4
p.m. PT following prelims on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Anchored at Sanford MMA, Fialho has compiled a 14-3 record while
competing for organizations such as Bellator, Professional Fighters
League, Legacy Fighting Alliance and UAE Warriors. He enters his
Octagon debut on a four-bout winning streak in which he has
finished all of his victories by KO or TKO — including UFC veteran
James
Vick at an XMMA event last January.
Pereira is currently on a three-fight winning streak within the Las
Vegas-based promotion, a run that includes a submission win over
Zelim
Imadaev and decisions against Kalinn
Williams and Niko
Price.