UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman heaped praise on Michel Pereira after the flamboyant Brazilian striker returned to the win column in fantastic fashion at UFC Vegas 9 this past weekend.
Pereira put on a three-round striking clinic against the game but outgunned Zelim Imadaev before eventually picking up a late submission win. Usman, who was on analyst duties for the ESPN+ broadcast had nothing but good things to say about Pereira who he thinks is destined for big things sooner rather than later.
“I loved everything that I saw from him because he proved to everybody, our bosses, and myself included, that he can be a full complete fighter,” Usman said. “I mean, everything was spectacular – his awareness, his cage awareness, the way he was moving, the way he was setting up those traps moving side-to-side and then landing those big shots. It was a spectacular performance from him. I think this is a guy that’s looking to get paired up against someone big in the future, the near future.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
Pereira seems to agree with Usman. The 27-year-old immediately called out Jorge Masvidal after picking up his first win in three fights. Pereira was previously disqualified when he fought Diego Sanchez at UFC Rio Rancho back in March. Before that, he suffered a huge upset defeat at the hands of UFC newcomer Tristan Connelly who shocked the world by picking up a decision win on just a few days’ notice in September 2019.
A matchup opposite Masvidal appears highly unlikely at this moment in time, with the Floridian currently in discussions to rematch Stockton all-rounder, Nate Diaz at UFC 246 in January – with BMF status up for grabs once more.
Do you agree with Kamaru Usman? Did Michel Pereira put on a “spectacular” performance at UFC Vegas 9?