UFC fighter Michel Pereira is known to be one of the most exciting fighters on the roster. His explosive fighting style and unique striking technique make him a fan favorite. Pereira is currently training for his next fight at the Las Vegas gym, Xtreme Couture.
Many popular UFC stars have trained there. UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou also trains in that gym. While speaking to Sherdog, Pereira revealed a hilarious incident where he was manhandled by Ngannou in a sparring session.
Generally, regular fighters who train there have fixed sparring partners. As Pereira has just started training in the gym, he had no other partner but Ngannou. Pereira said:
“In one of the first sparrings I did there, the coach told everybody to pair up. Since I was just arriving and didn’t know anybody, everybody was already paired up.”
“I looked on both sides and there was only one partner left – Francis Ngannou. Oh my God. It looked like I was grappling with a refrigerator. The guy threw me to one side and another like I was a toy. I got a stiff neck for one week.”
According to Pereira, Ngannou treated him like “a toy”. After the sparring session, Pereira suffered a minor injury and had a stiff neck for one week. But it was overall a positive experience for Pereira as he complimented his new team and the coaches.
Michel Pereira recalls hotel altercation with Francis Ngannou
Michel Pereira also mentioned an incident he had with Francis Ngannou in a hotel. After beating Santiago Ponzinibbio, Pereira had a big party along with his team. They were playing music loudly and celebrating.
However, little did they know that Ngannou was right next to their room. When they took the party to the corridor, ‘The Predator’ approached them, complaining that he couldn’t sleep because of the loud music.
Fortunately, no one argued with Ngannou, and Pereira along with his team went back to their room. It was a very smart move to not start a beef with the scariest fighter in the UFC. However, Pereira felt disrespected at that moment and wished that Ngannou had asked them politely.
Michel Pereira casually doing flips inside the octagon🔥🔁
Truly one of a kind. 🐐#ufc #MMATwitter pic.twitter.com/JLqWin8xDU
— HokageMMA 🥷🇩🇪 (@hokage_mma) December 27, 2022
But it looks like they have squashed their beef now as they are training together at Xtreme Couture. Pereira is on a five-fight win streak and has a professional record of 28-11-0 (2 NC). He is 6-2 in the promotion and will face Sean Brady at UFC on ESPN 43 on 25th March.
