UFC welterweight Michael Pereira has attempted to divert his newfound rivalry with Jorge Masvidal away from the controversy with his wife and back to a potential fight inside the Octagon.
Did anyone having ‘Pereira calls out Masvidal for sliding into his wife’s DMs’ on their UFC Vegas 55 bingo card?
Of all the stories to come out of May’s final event, this blossoming feud was perhaps the most unexpected. After the Brazilian expressed his desire to punish the Miami native for an apparent approach to his wife, Gina Amir Atelier, Masvidal responded by turning the tables and accusing Pereira’s partner of messaging him.
While nothing has been heard from Pereira until now, his wife did attempt to clear her name, posting a lengthy text on Instagram in which she insisted that the message in question came from someone else who had access to the “business account.”
Now, Pereira has broken his somewhat silence, but he’s focused more on Masvidal’s exploits inside the cage than his activities on social media.
During an interview with the Olhar da Luta YouTube channel, “Demolidor” addressed Masvidal’s recent callout of MMA megastar Conor McGregor, suggesting that the ‘BMF’ titleholder continues to target top fighters despite his losing streak.
As well as branding Masvidal the “king of excuses’ for avoiding him, Pereira claimed that the former two-time title challenger is either afraid of sharing the Octagon with him, or simply pursuing the biggest paycheck possible.
“I saw a video of him today, saying he wants to fight Conor McGregor,” Pereira said. “All that guy does is lose and he wants to face top guys. I don’t get it. I’ll get him, though. Don’t worry, I’ll get him soon. I have the longest win streak in the division after Kamaru Usman.
“I want to see what his excuse is going to be. Those guys always have an excuse. Masvidal is the king of excuses. He’s on a three-fight skid and doesn’t want to fight me? What is he, scared? Or maybe it’s about money. All those guys think about is money.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)
Pereira’s initial callout came after he emerged on the right side of a split decision verdict against Santiago Ponzinibbio. With the victory, which marked his fifth straight inside the Octagon, the Brazilian secured his ascent into the welterweight rankings.
Should he improve his current #14 position next time out, he’ll likely close the gap between himself and the #8-ranked Masvidal.
How do you think a fight between Michel Pereira and Jorge Masvidal would play out?
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