5 fights that could be next for Michel Pereira

#4. Michel Pereira vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Ponzinibbio is ranked No.14 with a record of 28-5

While neither fighter is ranked in the top ten, Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio are still two of the most popular fighters at welterweight. Pitting them against each other would allow the UFC to see which man is ready to start climbing up those rankings.

Ponzinibbio had been on a seven-fight win streak but has had mixed results since returning to the octagon after a two-year break. He is 1-2 since returning and appears to be performing at the level of a lower-ranked fighter. With Pereira looking for an opponent at that level, this makes plenty of sense.

Although Pereira is not currently ranked, he might be looking for someone placed higher than the Argentine in his next outing. The Brazilian was meant to face the No.15 ranked fighter last time out and added another win to his current streak. Maybe the No.14 fighter who is coming off a loss will not be appealing enough.

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#3. Michel Pereira vs. Geoff Neal

Neal is ranked No.12 with a record of 14-4

If we use the above logic, perhaps a bout with the No.12 ranked fighter who is coming off a win, would be more appropriate for Pereira. Geoff Neal picked up a narrow split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio last time out and could easily be a more appealing option for the Brazilian.

While Neal had lost his previous two before the Ponzinibbio win, he is a well-established welterweight with some big wins on his record. Neal has defeated the likes of Belal Muhammad and would be quite the scalp if Pereira is able to get by him.

Geoff Neal appears to be exactly the sort of opponent that the Brazilian needs. For Neal, this would give the opportunity to turn his win into a streak and set him up to begin looking above him in the rankings once again.