Undefeated middleweight contender Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov is furious with the fan-favorite Brazilian Michel Pereira after his scheduled opponent for UFC Saudi Arabia in June was forced to withdraw from the fight.
Controversial UFC 301 backflip results in loss of UFC Saudi Arabia fight
At UFC 301 last weekend, the ever-entertaining Michel Pereira was originally meant to face Makhmud Muradov; however, the Uzbek fighter was forced to withdraw with an infection.
Despite already having a fight lined up with Russian juggernaut Shara Magomedov in the summer, Ukrainian warrior Ihor Potieria stepped up to save Michel Pereira’s place on his hometown card.
Pereira won the contest in destructive fashion, yet it wasn’t without its controversy as the Brazilian seemed to land a ‘crazy’ illegal knee to the head of the grounded Potieria after he backflipped over his defensive guard.
Unfortunately, this specific shot has resulted in Michel Pereira now receiving a three-month medical suspension and consequently, his fight with Shara ‘Bullet’ has been canceled: “It’s a shame, but the UFC suspended me from fighting for 3 months due to an illegal kick. Perhaps there will be justice and this fight will be annulled.”
Shara ‘Bullet’ calls out Michel Pereira to replace the suspended Potieria
Unsurprisingly, Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov is furious with the fact that a potentially illegal shot has ended in his own potential payday in Saudi Arabia; and the Russian is calling for Pereira to step in to make things right.
The 12-0 middleweight tagged Pereira directly in his message on Instagram, calling the Brazilian a “damn acrobat” and noting that “I lost my opponent because of you.”
“Everyone knows that you can do backflips now, but UFC is not a circus. You made an illegal move, and now you have to be punished.”
Magomedov then tagged the UFC, matchmaker Mick Maynard and manager Ali Abdelaziz with one simple request:
“Let me deal with this clown, ship him to Saudi Arabia [on] 22 June and I will quickly teach him a lesson.”
Considering that Potieria was willing to step in on short notice to keep Pereira on the card for his home fans, it’s not unreasonable to expect the Brazilian to now do the same thing for UFC Saudi Arabia.
However, Michel Pereira is now ranked at #13 in the middleweight division and is baring down on a Top 10 opponent next as he eyes a run towards the title picture at 185lbs – neither Potieria nor Magomedov are currently ranked in the Top 15.