Masvidal sent a DM that made things personal.
Michel Pereira added a quality name to his resume Saturday night, taking a split decision victory over long time contender Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Vegas 55. After the contest, he called his shot for what he wants next.
“Now I need top 15, top 10,” Pereira said on his post-fight interview. “Hey Nate, I’m ready! Hey Jorge Masvidal, come my friend!”
Apparently, the Masvidal callout has extra meaning for him. As he revealed soon after, Pereira has a “problem” with Masvidal, over an emoji he sent.
“I really want to fight Nate Diaz because I think it would be really fun to slap each other around,” Pereira said at the post-fight press conference. “Also, Jorge Masvidal because I have a little bit of a problem with him and I want to settle it.
“(Masvidal) sent an emoji to my wife. The (praying hands) emoji,” Pereira said. “He sent it to my wife and didn’t send it to me.
“I never actually crossed paths with him, never had the chance to ask him. So I figured I really want to understand, but might as well understand inside the Octagon. So let’s just settle it over there.”
With the win over Ponzinibbio, Pereira will likely enter the top 15 rankings. The backflipping Brazilian has now won five straight bouts dating back to the 2020 bout against Diego Sanchez, a match he was dominating until the illegal knee that got him disqualified.