Michel Pereira wants Jorge Masvidal fight after ‘Gamebred’ slid into his wife’s DMs

UFC Vegas 55 ended with two split decisions at the top of the card last night (Sat., May 21, 2022) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ketlen Viera edged Holly Holm in a controversial end to a lackluster main event (watch highlights), while in the co-feature Michel Pereira won a split over Santiago Ponzinibbio in what ended up being “Fight of the Night.”

The win over No. 14-ranked Ponzinibbio should push Pereira into the Welterweight Top 15, and “Demolidor” is already looking way up at other top fighters in the division. Asked who he wanted to fight next during his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Pereira called out Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.

“I really want to fight Nate Diaz because I think it’d be really fun to slap each other around,” Pereira explained during the UFC Vegas 55 post-fight press conference. “I think it’d be a really fun fight. I think we’d put on a show for all the fans. And also, Jorge Masvidal because I have a little bit of a problem with him, and I want to settle it.

“So he sent an emoji to my wife, the emoji with the two hands together like [praying],” he continued. “He sent it to my wife and didn’t send it to me. And you know, I never actually crossed paths with him, never had the chance to ask him. So I figured, you know, I really want to understand, but might as well understand inside the Octagon. So we’ll just settle it over there.”

Sliding into the DMs of a fighter’s wife sure is a good way to get punched, which is something Masvidal should understand. He’s currently on the sidelines as he prepares for an August felony battery trial after punching Colby Covington in the head for messing with his family. Sure, there’s a big difference between what Colby did and Masvidal sending a single enigmatic emoji.

Nonetheless, Pereira clearly feels like a line was crossed.

If Pereira really wants to get that fight together, he’ll likely have to push his way further up the rankings. Anything too far outside of the Top 5 isn’t going to interest UFC or Masvidal, even if a fight against Pereira would be guaranteed fireworks. Given how solid “Demolidor” has been looking in his recent outings, though, it’s certainly a fight that could come together in the future.

For complete UFC Vegas 55: “Holm vs. Vieira” results and play-by-play, click HERE.