Michel
Pereira is looking to appeal his loss to Sharabutdin
Magomedov, which was followed by his release from the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Pereira took on Magomedov in a middleweight bout in the co-main
event of
UFC Baku. While Magomedov came away with a unanimous decision
win, the fight was marred by controversy. The Russian pulled
Pereira’s hair multiple times from bottom position in the first
round. While referee Herb Dean
warned Magomedov against committing any more fouls, he didn’t
deduct any points when “Shara Bullet” accidentally eye-poked
Pereira in the third round.
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Michel Pereira seeks overturned result after disputed UFC Baku
fight with Sharabutdin Magomedov
Pereira subsequently wasn’t offered a contract renewal and the
Brazilian is now looking to overturn his last result to a draw. He
is grateful for his UFC career, holds nothing against the promotion
and is proud of some of the memorable moments he delivered to fans
inside the Octagon.
“Everything happened the way it happened and I’m very grateful,”
Pereira told Ignition Poker Brazil. “You’ll never hear me bad
mouthing them because they treated me well and I fulfilled my dream
of fighting there. I pulled off techniques in that Octagon that
nobody else will ever duplicate.”
Pereira is consulting his lawyer to appeal the result of his fight
against Magomedov. “Demolidor” notes that the bout would have ended
in a draw if his opponent had been penalized for hair pulling.
Pereira also believes that his career has taken multiple blows due
to inconsistent officiating.
“However, I am still actively pushing behind the scenes with my
lawyer to get the result of my last fight reviewed,” Pereira added.
“It’s one thing when an accidental eye poke or a low blow happens
in the heat of a fight. But in my opinion, Shara pulled my hair
three times. Herb Dean warned him but never deducted a point. Based
on the scorecards, a single point deduction would have made the
fight a 28-28 draw. I firmly believe that refereeing errors
completely changed the outcome of my career. It frustrates me
deeply because commissions and referees always lecture us on the
rules backstage, but then they failed to enforce them when it
mattered most. I’ve had nearly fifty fights; I know the rules.
Referees just need to do their jobs consistently.”
Pereira (32-15) exited the promotion having lost four of his last
five bouts.