Caio Borralho learns a valuable lesson from Michel Pereira's dismissal from the UFC.

Caio Borralho celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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Caio Borralho revealed that he learned an important lesson after Michel Pereira 's dismissal from the UFC. The non-renewal of the 'Flying Paraense's' contract, which surprised Brazilian fans, occurred after a defeat marked by illegal strikes and served as a warning to the fighter from the Fighting Nerds team.

In an interview with Canal Encarada, Borralho deeply regretted his compatriot's departure. According to Caio, even without performing well in his last fights, Michel always delivered a spectacular show in the octagon.

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“I’m sad, Michel is like a brother to me. And, even though he’s not performing like he used to, he’s a guy who puts on a show. And having achieved seven consecutive victories, something very difficult to do in the UFC, it’s sad to see this,” said Caio Borralho .

Despite the frustration, Borralho admitted that the episode served as a reality check. The fighter stated that the situation reinforces the idea that no one is irreplaceable in the UFC and that, even during positive moments in one's career, it is essential to keep one's feet on the ground and not become complacent.

“But this keeps our feet on the ground, that’s the lesson I’ve learned: Everyone is replaceable. Sometimes you’re happy. That’s fine, be happy, but don’t lose touch with reality,” the nerd concluded.

The controversial defeat in Michel Pereira's last fight.

Michel Pereira 's last fight in the UFC ended in controversy. The Brazilian started well against Shara Magomedov and even knocked the Russian down in the co-main event of UFC Baku . However, on the ground, the Russian pulled the Brazilian's hair on more than one occasion. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight to warn the Russian, but did not deduct points.

During the break between the first and second rounds, Herb Dean approached Shara and informed him that if the Russian committed any more fouls, he would be penalized. In the third round, however, Magomedov poked the Brazilian in the eye, and the referee did not deduct any points.

With the decision not to deduct points, Shara Magomedov defeated the Brazilian by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Michel Pereira went so far as to blame Herb Dean for his defeat in a harsh post on Twitter.

“In MMA, there are rules. They need to be applied with the same rigor for everyone. Respecting the rules is protecting the integrity of the sport and ensuring fairness inside the octagon. My opponent was warned several times and was not punished. When the rule is ignored, the result is compromised,” Michel wrote on his social media.

Michel Pereira's time in the UFC has come to an end.

Michel Pereira , 32, ends his time in the UFC with a professional record of 32 wins and 15 losses, with 10 wins and six losses in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Michel made his UFC debut in May 2019, when he captivated the world by knocking out Danny Roberts . At the time, the Brazilian was extremely spectacular, with flashy strikes and somersaults never before seen inside the octagon. This performance earned Pereira the nickname 'Flying Paraense'.

Michael Pereira in his first UFC fight

Michel Pereira 's peak , however, came some time later. It was only from 2020 onwards, when the Brazilian strung together a series of victories and came close to the welterweight title (up to 77 kg). However, after failing to make weight to face Stephen Thompson at UFC 291 in July 2023, the fight was canceled. UFC management didn't like the cancellation and he was forced to move up to middleweight (up to 83,9 kg).

In the new weight class, Michel couldn't stay on top and alternated between wins and heavy losses. The Brazilian's time in the UFC ended with only one win in his last five fights, accumulating losses to Shara Magomedov , Kyle Daukaus , Abus Magomedov , and Anthony Hernandez.

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