Former UFC middleweight fighter Michel Pereira says that he is looking to get his decision loss to Shara Magomedov appealed.
Pereira lost a unanimous decision to Magomedov at UFC Baku in June, but the fight was very controversial because Magomedov poked Pereira in the eyes and also grabbed his hair.
Though referee Herb Dean warned Magomedov several times not to commit fouls, he did not take any points away from him despite the infractions. Had Magomedov been deducted one point, the fight would have resulted in a unanimous draw instead with three 28-28 scorecards.
Instead, Pereira lost, and he was released by the UFC afterwards. Because of the way the fight was handled, Pereira is looking to appeal the result of the bout, as he is still upset Dean did not take a point away from Magomedov for the fouls.
Michel Pereira Looking to Appeal UFC Baku Loss
Speaking to Ignition Poker Brazil, Pereira said that he is working with his lawyer to appeal the decision loss to Magomedov, while also reflecting on his UFC career ending.
“Everything happened the way it happened, and I’m very grateful. You’ll never hear me badmouthing them because they treated me well, and I fulfilled my dream of fighting there. I pulled off techniques in that Octagon that nobody else will ever duplicate,” Pereira said.
“However, I am still actively pushing behind the scenes with my lawyer to get the result of my last fight reviewed. It’s one thing when an accidental eye poke or a low blow happens in the heat of a fight. But in my opinion, Shara pulled my hair three times. Herb Dean warned him but never deducted a point. Based on the scorecards, a single point deduction would have made the fight a 28-28 draw. I firmly believe that refereeing errors completely changed the outcome of my career. It frustrates me deeply because commissions and referees always lecture us on the rules backstage, but then they failed to enforce them when it mattered most. I’ve had nearly fifty fights; I know the rules. Referees just need to do their jobs consistently.”
Michel Pereira UFC Career
Pereira made his UFC debut in 2019, and he went 10-6 overall during his time inside the Octagon. His biggest wins include Michal Oleksiejczuk, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Niko Price.
After losing four of his last five fights inside the Octagon, Pereira’s UFC career is now over, though he is obviously not happy with the way that it ended. He is hoping that he can appeal the loss to Magomedov and have it overturned to a unanimous draw, instead, though we’ll see if anything comes out of that, since typically these types of fights are not overturned when a referee doesn’t deduct a point.
Either way, it will be interesting to see where Pereira ends up next. Though the end of his UFC run was obviously very disappointing, for the most part he was a very exciting fighter during his time inside the Octagon and he should be coveted by other major organizations like PFL.
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