"UFC is not a circus" - Sharabutdin Magomedov vows to punish Michel Pereira for "illegal move" after Ihor Potieria is forced out of Saudi Arabia card
Sharabutdin Magomedov recently expressed his thoughts on Michel Pereira. He intends to punish Pereira for his illegal move, which resulted in Ihor Potieria getting forced out of the UFC's Saudi Arabia card.
Pereira was scheduled to fight Makhmud Muradov at UFC 301. Unfortunately, an infection forced Muradov to withdraw, which allowed Potieria to step in on short notice. Pereira easily defeated Potieria with a 54-second standing guillotine choke.
The pivotal moment of the fight was 'Demolidor's' backflip knee to the face, which the referee did not call. Potieria was given a 45-day medical suspension by officials because they were sufficiently concerned about the harm he took. It now appears that UFC doctors have extended the suspension to three months.
Magomedov is also impacted by Potieria's defeat because their fight was slated to take place at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. 'Duelist' has been pushed out of the bout, according to a tweet earlier today from Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
"Shara Bullet vs. Ihor Potieria is off #UFCSaudiArabia, both parties confirm. The promotional tentatively planned to maintain the matchup despite Potieria stepping in vs. Michel Pereira at #UFC 301. However, Potieiria's medical suspension after his TKO loss has forced him out.''
The UFC is looking for a replacement to compete against Magomedov on the Saudi Arabia card. Although it's unclear who the promotion is targeting, the undefeated Dagstanian fighter has demanded a match with the man who defeated his previously scheduled opponent.
'Bullet' recently took to X and asked for a fight against Pereira, writing:
''@michelpereiraufc, you damn acrobat, 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. @ufc @mickmaynard2 @aliabdelaziz let me deal with this clown, ship him to Saudi Arabia 22 June and I will quickly teach him a lesson.''
When Sharabutdin Magomedov called out Marvin Vettori for a fight
Sharabutdin Magomedov has previously challenged Marvin Vettori to a fight. He even emphasized the significant discrepancy in their divisional standings. Vettori is a former title challenger and ranked No.5 in the middleweight rankings.
Meanwhile, Magomedov remains unranked after winning his promotional debut. 'Shara Bullet' is unconcerned with the two rankings and believes that once he has Vettori, he will establish his better skills.
In a post-fight interview with Red Corner MMA, Magomedov discussed a potential matchup against Vettori.
''Vettori. Him being ranked Top 5 says absolutely nothing to me. When I start beating him up, my knuckles, my elbows, and my knees, I won't care what he's ranked."