Michel Pereira isn’t just flash. He’s substance, because the wins keep rolling in.
At UFC 270, Pereira (27-11 MMA, 5-2 UFC) defeated promotional newcomer Andre Fialho (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
From the opening bell, Pereira utilized a snapping front kick to the midsection of Fialho, who either was not bothered by them or displayed a great poker face. Fialho tried to press forward, but the body shots and explosive outbursts from Pereira kept him at bay. Fialho succeeded late in Round 1 when he busted Pereira’s nose open and added additional damage when the fight hit the canvas.
Round 2 was Pereira’s strongest. His boxing appeared to stun Fialho, who retreated and was met with an explosive attack. Pereira mixed in some flying and standing knees, but Fialho survived.
In Round 3, Pereira looked a step ahead yet again. His energy levels were maintained despite his output level and the amount of power packed behind each strike. The front kick to the body resurfaced as the final round progressed and became just as heavy as a weapon as ever. The two fighters swung heavily at the final bell and received a loud cheer from the crowd.
Pereira is doing gymnastics in the octagon 🤸♂️ #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/BxxYhLZxil
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2022
"Oh my goodness that was beautiful" @JoeRogan is all of us while watching Michel Pereira 😳 #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/VkJcXDcInT
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2022
Pereira continues his winning ways and extends his streak to four, a stretch dating back to 2020. Outside of a unanimous decision defeat to Tristan Connelly and a disqualification against Diego Sanchez, the flashy and explosive Pereira has won all of his other UFC bouts.
Despite the loss, Fialho is finally on the UFC roster after eight years of competition as a professional that included stops in Bellator, PFL, LFA, and XMMA. The defeat snaps four-fight winning and finishing streaks, which included wins over UFC alums James Vick and Stefan Sekulic.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 270 results include:
- Michel Pereira def. Andre Fialho via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Said Nurmagomedov def. Cody Stamann via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:47
- Michael Morales def. Trevin Giles via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
- Victor Henry def. Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jack Della Maddalena def. Pete Rodriguez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:59
- Tony Gravely def. Saimon Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:15
- Vanessa Demopoulos def. Silvana Gomez Juarez via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:25
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Kay Hansen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
