Initially scheduled to face Muslim
Salikhov at UFC 270,
Michel
Pereira had to deal with an opponent change a few weeks prior
to the event.
And the fight against Octagon newcomer Andre
Fialho was not easy.
“I normally like to study my opponents in the first round, but he
surprised me with his killer jabs and I had to change plans from
the second round on,” Pereira told Sherdog.com. “I started to move
more, mix more and anticipate his attacks.”
Pereira ultimately defeated Fialho via unanimous decision, and he
felt the fight was worthy of a bonus.
“I have to agree that Deiveson [Figueiredo] and [Brandon] Moreno
deserved their prizes, but no one else delivered a better show than
me and Fialho,” he said. “And when I talk about the show I mean the
whole package, since weigh-ins. We gave a war to the fans.”
Pereira also was happy to see Figueiredo, who hails from the same
part of Brazil, regain his flyweight crown in the co-main
event.
“I remember back in the days when me and Deiveson were training
together in Lyoto´s gym in Belém and some guys used to bully him,
calling him ‘Little crazy,’ Pereira said. “Definitely life changes.
It was great to witness Deiveson regaining the belt on the same
night I got my fifth UFC win on the main card.”
Pereira revealed that Figueiredo invited him to train at Fight
Ready in Arizona, where former UFC champ Henry
Cejudo has set up a camp and trains other big names such as
Jon
Jones.
“Of course I was happy to hear that from him. We never know about
the future, but for now my plan is to stay in Vegas,” Pereira said.
“Besides loving this city, I also have a nice training structure
with Rafael Alejarra and a couple of trainers and sparring partners
I brought from Brazil.”
After initially asking for his next bout to be at UFC 274 in Rio de
Janeiro, Pereira was disappointed to learn that the event will
likely be moved to the United States.
“That´s a very bad news. I´m going to have my eighth UFC fight and
I have never fought in Brazil,” Pereira said. “Imagine the energy
in the arena on a night where Glover [Teixiera] and [Charles
Oliveira] would be defending their belt.”
While Pereira is open to facing anyone in the Top 15, he would
ideally like to face red-hot welterweight contender Khamzat
Chimaev.
“I don’t understand why so many fighters are afraid of these
Chimaev guy,” Pereira said. “No doubt he is a good wrestler, but
MMA is different. If the UFC puts him against [Gilbert
Burns], I have no doubt he will have a problem. But if
something happens and the UFC needs someone to face him, just give
me a call and I´ll be there.”
Considered one of the most popular of the new generation of
Brazilian fighters, Pereira also explained why he entered the
Octagon carrying both U.S. and Brazilian flags.
“I’m a Brazilian and I love my country, but I´m a grateful person,”
he said. “The opportunities I’m having here in the USA are changing
my life. I love Brazil but I also love the United States, the
country that provides the best opportunities that changed
my life.”