Michel Pereira parts ways with UFC after 16-fight tenure, recent skid

Longtime UFC knockout artist Michel Pereira has parted ways with the promotion following his latest setback at UFC Baku.

Michel Pereira, who spoiled fans with some of the wildest mid-fight moments in the Octagon, has parted ways with the UFC after a 16-fight career in the promotion.

The UFC opted not to re-sign Pereira after his recent loss to middleweight star Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov at UFC Baku last month. He signed a one-fight deal after his controversial split-decision win over Zach Reese at UFC Houston earlier this year.

Pereira’s removal from the UFC roster was first reported by MMA Fighting‘s Guilherme Cruz.

Michel Pereira cut by UFC after latest loss to Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov

Pereira’s split from the UFC comes after losses in four of his last five fights in the middleweight division, after an up-and-down tenure at welterweight. After multiple weight misses, Pereira made the full-time move to 185 lbs following a canceled fight against Stephen Thompson at UFC 291.

Before his recent struggles, Pereira won eight consecutive fights, including brutal finishes over Michal Oleksiejczuk and Andre Petroski. His struggles began when he lost to Anthony Hernandez in an October 2024 UFC main event by TKO.

Pereira earned one of the wildest knockouts in UFC history in his promotional debut in May 2019, knocking out Danny Roberts with a flying knee. Despite his initial success, Pereira dropped fights to Diego Sanchez and Tristan Connelly, which quickly halted his momentum.

Pereira is now a free agent for one of the few times in his career and is expected to get offers from the Professional Fighters’ League and other top promotions. The 32-year-old Pereira is arguably just approaching his physical prime and could potentially right the ship in his return to the cage.

What is your favorite highlight from Michel Pereira’s UFC career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!