Pereira beat Potieria so badly that ‘Duelist’ wont be able to fight Magomedov in Saudi Arabia. So ‘Bullet’ now wants Pereira to replace him.
Ihor Potieria is out of his UFC Saudi Arabia fight on June 22nd against Shara Magomedov, and it’s all Michel Pereira’s fault.
That’s Potieria and Magomedov’s view of the situation, which is somewhat understandable given the circumstances. The two were set to fight in Riyadh, but the UFC threw Potieria onto UFC 301 against Pereira as a late replacement opponent. Now a medical suspension from that loss has Potieria sidelined until August.
Pereira choked out “Duelist” in just 54 seconds in Rio de Janeiro, with the key moment of the fight being a backflip knee to the face from “Demolidor” that the referee never called. Officials were concerned enough about the damage Potieria took to issue him a 45 day medical suspension, and apparently UFC doctors have lengthened that suspension to three months.
Michel Pereira just backflipped a knee to his opponent’s dome #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/fMc4LS4Ujf
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 5, 2024
All over an illegal knee to a grounded opponent that no one is willing to officially acknowledge!
“It’s a shame, but the UFC suspended me from fighting for three months due to an illegal kick,” Potieria wrote on social media. “Perhaps there will be justice and this fight will be annulled.”
Shara “Bullet” also took a shot at Pereira over the fight cancellation.
“[Michel Pereira] you damn acrobat, I lost my opponent because of you,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “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.”
It’s unlikely that the Brazilian commission CABMMA will overturn the fight at this point, which sucks for Ihor. As for Shara, we’re sure the UFC will find the popular Dagestani fighter another opponent. Will it be Michel Pereira? The promotion has already attempted to turn “Demolidor” around quick by setting up a June fight with teammate Roman Dolidze, but Pereira says news of this booking is premature.
We gotta say, Pereira vs. Shara “Bullet” is a sexier fight than Dolidze in our books. We’ll keep you updated as the matchmaking for both men gets worked out.