Michel Pereira is all set to feature at UFC 301 next after a dominating performance at UFC 299. The Brazilian will be facing Ihor Potieria in the middleweight division in his hometown. Pereira’s last fight occurred in the light heavyweight division when he took on Michal Oleksiejczuk. However, he has decided to compete in the middleweight division next.

This will be Pereira’s second fight in the middleweight division. Previously, he competed in the welterweight division and struggled with his weight cut. But why exactly did he struggle? Let us find out.

”Demolidor” reveals shocking weight cut and walk-around weight

Most athletes in the UFC have a tough time cutting weight before their fights. Despite undergoing intense training sessions, many fighters struggle to lose those final pounds. Pereira, who goes by the nickname of ‘Demolidor’, also had his share of problems when he competed in the 170-pound division. One of the biggest reasons for his struggle is his initial weight.

He walked around at 210 pounds, which made it tough for him to lose those extra pounds. The Brazilian previously competed in the welterweight division (170 pounds), where he had to lose more than 40 pounds. Cutting this much amount of weight always has an adverse effect on the health of the athletes.

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However, it now seems that the 30-year-old has made a wise decision by moving to the middleweight division(185 pounds). The 30-year-old is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is currently on a six-fight winning streak. He has competed in the middleweight division once and has managed to win that fight. But what exactly has propelled him to make a move to this division? Let us find out the exact reason.

Michel Pereira reveals the reason behind the move to middleweight

Michel Pereira was all set to take on Stephen Thompson in the welterweight division(170 pounds) in 2023. However, the fight never happened since the Brazilian failed to make the weight by three pounds. This prompted him to take a decision to move to a higher weight class and since then his life has been happy. In one of his interviews in 2023, he shared how his weight cuts have changed since his move to a new division.

Pereira said, “I’m very happy, prepared, excited in this new division because I don’t need to cut a lot of weight, I’m feeling very well as a middleweight right now. I have a lot more energy, so I was training more and better. I’m confident. From now on, I’m a middleweight. I feel better. My personal life is better being a middleweight. Even when I was a welterweight, I was training with big guys, and I was always the bigger guy as a welterweight. But now I feel like I’m a middleweight. My body is a middleweight, so I’m going to stay in this weight division.”

The Brazilian also shed some light on how he had to lose 45 pounds in the welterweight division. As a result, his personal life also suffered a bit. The Brazilian has now decided to stay in his new division and will have his work cut out against his next opponent, Ihor Potieria. Potieria, in his previous fight, competed in the light heavyweight division(205 pounds). But accepted this fight after Makhmud Muradov withdrew his name from UFC 301. Who do you think will win the fight between the two? Let us know in the comments below.