Sharabutdin
Magomedov blames Michel
Pereira for disrupting his upcoming fight.
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Magomedov was originally scheduled to fight Ihor
Potieria at
UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. However, Potieria replaced an
injured Makhmud
Muradov against Michel
Pereira at UFC 301
on May 4. Potieria was submitted by Pereira in under a minute,
which also resulted in a medical suspension for the Ukrainian
middleweight until August.
The fight was not without controversy, as Pereira came dangerously
close to landing an illegal knee against his opponent after he
backflipped into top position. After a review, it was determined
that Pereira did not commit a foul in that moment. However, “The
Duelist” has since protested the outcome.
“Hey everyone… Friends, thank you very much for your support, I
appreciate it and am very grateful to you. I’m also very grateful
to the haters for not forgetting and supporting me as much as
possible, I appreciate that too. It’s a shame that I couldn’t even
show my skills and show what I’m capable of. Sometimes s—t happens
at the worst time for us. Yes, it’s not pleasant, but this too will
pass. This is my way. I thank God for everything as it is,
everything is God’s will,” Potieiria wrote on Instagram.
“Another lesson for me that you need to go at your own pace, and
not go to substitutes. I’m in a hurry all the time and only make it
worse for myself. In two and a half weeks I lost 17 kilograms, the
last 3 kg were very difficult for me, I gave all my strength to the
weight loss. What also bought me was that in the gym in America I
didn’t feel this guy at all during sparring, I just destroyed him,
and here I didn’t even have time to prove myself. All I remember is
the forbidden flying knee to my head when I was lying on my back,
after which I don’t even remember how I got up, probably an
instinct of self-preservation. Three well-known athletic
commissions in America said it was a disqualification, but the
fight was in Brazil, so we’ll see what the Rio de Janeiro athletic
commission says about it, because at first they also wanted to make
a disqualification.
“I accept everything that is offered to me and I want everything to
be fair. Of course, everyone only sees a cool somersault, but once
again the rules are broken against me during a fight and I don’t
want this to go unpunished again. So I’m waiting for news… One
day we will meet again and the result of our fight will be
completely different, Just give me time to fully prepare! P.S. The
ways of the Lord are mysterious. One day I will definitely achieve
my dream and become the UFC middleweight champion, I believe that I
am capable of it, even if it sounds funny to you now.”
With Potieria out of UFC Saudi Arabia, Magomedov has now called out
Pereira as a replacement, also mentioning the controversial moment
at UFC 301.
“You damn acrobat, I lost my opponent because of you,” Magomedov
wrote on his Instagram stories. “Everyone knows that you can do
backflips now, but UFC is not a circus. You made an illegal move,
and now you have to punished. Let us kick him out of the rankings
and let me deal with this clown. Ship him to Saudi Arabia on June
22nd and I will board him.”
Meanwhile, Pereira has reportedly been booked against teammate
Roman
Dolidze at UFC Louisville on June 8. However, “Demolidor”
claims to have
turned down the offer, although Dolidze accepted the fight.