Is this the best showman in the UFC? Michel Pereira knocks down the opponent, BACKFLIPS on the head then submits him in the space of just 40 ridiculous seconds.
- Michel Pereira secured a blistering first round submission against Ihor Potieria
- Pereira knocked down Potieria before launching into a backflip
- Potieria was then picked up and finished off with a brutal standing guillotine.
Michel Pereira won a stunning first-round submission over Ihor Potieria at UFC 301 after backflixing his opponent in a breathtaking finish.
In the space of just 40 seconds, Pereira managed to knock his opponent to the canvas before launching himself into the air and connecting with a back kick.
The wild move may have been technically illegal, featuring kicks to the head when an opponent is on the ground, but officials conferred and awarded the showman the explosive victory regardless in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Pereira ran out of the blocks and dropped Potieria with a left-right combination to the head. With his opponent helpless on the ground, he then turned away from him.
But in a breathtaking turn of events, he then acrobatically threw himself backwards and drove his shin into Potieria’s face, making contact with a crunch.
Michel Pereira won a stunning first-round submission over Ihor Potieria at UFC 301
Pereira took his opponent down before backflipping and submitting him in 40 seconds.
Potieria was sent crashing to the canvas before kicking out after a standing guillotine
It wasn’t over, Pereira got Potieria back to his feet and finished him off with a standing guillotine, the battered fighter scoring 54 seconds into the first round.
After being freed from the choke, Potieria collapsed to the mat.
As Pereira celebrated a memorable victory, fight officials were seen conversing in the Octagon, possibly discussing the legality of the back kick.
But soon after, it was confirmed that this decision was indeed legal. Replays showed the head contact was a glancing blow, with the chest bearing the brunt of it.
“I still think he needs to learn a lesson from the backflips and illegal knee attempts,” UFC announcer Paul Felder said during the pay-per-view broadcast.
“But from one angle, a lot of it landed on his chest – thank God for him – and I think that’s what saved him from potentially getting a disqualification here.”
