UFC results and video: Diego Sanchez wins by DQ after Michel Pereira’s illegal knee

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Diego Sanchez just beat Michel Pereira by disqualification in the UFC Rio Rancho co-main event.

In the UFC Rio Rancho co-main event, Michel Pereira was disqualified after landing an illegal knee to a grounded Diego Sanchez. The foul came in the third round, and Pereira seemed to be winning the fight, but rules are rules so the win was awarded to Sanchez. This puts Sanchez back in the win column, while Pereira has now lost two straight.

Sanchez opened the fight with a rolling thunder technique. Pereira responded with some front kicks followed by a showtime kick off the cage. He then hit a flying knee, but Sanchez ate it like a champ. Pereira then began to fight a lot more reserved than we’ve seen him in the past. Sanchez was on his heels for a lot of the opening round.

Pereira kept up with the pressure in the second act. Sanchez would run in with a flurry, but Pereira was much quicker on the feet. Pereira stayed disciplined and fought quite technically. Sanchez finally went for a takedown, but Pereira escaped with relative ease. Pereira then got fancy with a superman punch off the fence followed by a knee to the face, both of which landed. He then scored himself a takedown at the end of the round.

Pereira realized another takedown off of a botched spinning backfist, and then hit his patented backflip. That gave Sanchez the space to get back up. Sanchez fell over from a flying knee and ate a few ground strikes before returning to his feet. Pereira started to launch knees, landing several before Sanchez buckled to the canvas. Then, he landed an illegal knee to Sanchez on the ground. The referee called time out and brought in the doctor. Sanchez told the referee that he couldn’t see, resulting in Pereira getting disqualified.

Diego Sanchez def. Michel Pereira by DQ at 3:09 of round 3: Welterweight