The wife of UFC welterweight Michel Pereira has spoken out following the controversy surrounding a recent Instagram message to Jorge Masvidal.
Pereira defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio this past weekend at UFC Vegas 55, earning a split-decision victory. The fight also earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors with both fighters taking home an extra $50k each.
But Pereira’s post-fight presser quickly took the attention away from the performance itself, as he called out Masvidal for a fight after “Gamebred” allegedly DMed his wife.
Pereira’s wife, Gina Amir Atelier, responded to a post on Masvidal’s story with a message of support. Masvidal responded with a prayer emoji, which appeared to draw the attention of Pereira.
Masvidal has since denied any malicious intent during the brief back-and-forth with Atelier and shared a screenshot of the DM exchange.
In a recent Instagram post, Pereira’s wife downplayed that she meant anything unusual with her publicized direct message to Masvidal.
“Society is always looking for excitement and unfortunately drama sells,” Atelier posted regarding the Pereira/Masvidal controversy. “Twisting the narrative to create a story that is false. I have never, and would never do anything to disrespect my marriage or my husband. This account as you can see, is a business account and way more than 1 person has access to it. This is not even the way I would speak. Not to mention it is from years ago and before I even knew Michel. Michel and I would appreciate respect as we are starting a family together. There is lots of hatred in this world we do not need to add to it. Peace and love to all of you.”
Pereira and Masvidal could potentially be on a collision course following their recent performances in the Octagon. Masvidal is on a three-fight losing skid, including most recently falling short against Colby Covington at UFC 272. Meanwhile, Pereira is expected to enter the rankings this week after his fifth straight victory.
If Pereira and Masvidal end up squaring off in the Octagon, the controversy surrounding Pereira’s wife could potentially come back into the conversation once again.
What are your thoughts on the Michel Pereira-Jorge Masvidal controversy?
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