Michel Pereira cemented his eighth consecutive octagon victory in incredible style during his last bout at UFC 301.
It was the Brazilian’s third straight win in 60 seconds or less against a UFC middleweight.
Pereira dropped Potieria in the first round of his last fightGetty
Now, Pereira returns to face Anthony Hernandez this weekend as he continues his pursuit of UFC gold.
‘Demolidor’ made his debut in Dana White’s promotion back in May 2019, setting a precedent for his subsequent UFC bouts by delivering a spectacular flying knee.
The former dance teacher showcased his unorthodox fighting style when he sent Danny Roberts crashing to the canvas with a straight right hand after stunning him with a knee.
Although Pereira lost his next two UFC fights, via unanimous-decision and a disqualification, he is now on an eight fight win streak stretching back to September 2020 and making light work of his opponents.
Weight cutting issues forced the 31-year-old to move up a weight division from welterweight to middleweight.
His debut at 185-pounds came in October 2023, when he steamrolled Andre Petroski at UFC Fight Night 230.
It took just over one minute for Pereira to land a massive right hand that dropped Petroski in the first round at UFC Apex, Las Vegas.
Then, after delivering brutal shots to the body, he submitted Poland’s Michal Oleksiejczuk five months later in his second middleweight bout.
After his victory, UFC commentator Joe Rogan said Pereira was a ‘nightmare at 185 pounds’ due to his athleticism, kicks and enthusiasm.
Pereira’s last octagon appearance came in May 2024, when he put Ihor Potieria to sleep just 54 seconds into the bout.
The acrobat, who thrives on entertaining the crowd, was featuring in his 11th UFC fight when he stepped into the cage with Potieria.
Just after former lightweight Paul Felder had said on commentary: “He’ll [Pereira] do a backflip and try to punch you in the face” – the Brazilian did exactly that.
He caught Potieria with a left hand that put him on his back. Then, with his opponent laying on the ground, Pereira spun around and proceeded to backflip straight towards the canvas.
With his opponent on the ground Pereira spun aroundTNT Sports
And pulled off a backflip straight on PotieriaTNT Sports
Which set up a perfect guillotine choke for Pereira and Potieria was outGetty
The move actually could have seen Pereira disqualified if his leg had connected with the face of Potieria, but it was millimetres wide.
“It’s my fighting style,” he later said when questioned about the risk of disqualification, adding that is why he is seen as the UFC showman.
Pereira followed up with several strikes on the ground, before Potieria attempted to scramble to his fight.
In doing so, the Ukrainian left himself vulnerable to a guillotine, which Pereira took full advantage of by immediately locking in the submission and tightening his grip as the seconds went on.
Less than 10 seconds later, Potieria tapped out and immediately sank to the floor out cold.
It was Pereira’s eight octagon victory in a row, which left the crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, thirsty for more.
Whether it’s champion Dricus Du Plessis in front of him or the no.13-ranked Hernandez, Pereira is adamant fans will always be treated to a show.
The American is on his own win streak having won all five of his previous UFC bouts. He has finished four of those fights early, with three of them coming by way of submission.
The pair headline UFC Fight Night 245, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card is set to begin around midnight for UK fans on Saturday, October 19.
