Is Michel Pereira Israeli? Fighter explains walking out with Israel flag at UFC Vegas 81 week after ban removal

Modified Oct 15, 2023 01:44 GMT

UFC fighter Michel Pereira [Image credits: @danielamram3 on Twitter]

MMA fans witnessed a unique visual on October 14 as Brazilian UFC fighter Michel Pereira walked out with an Israeli flag for his fight at UFC Vegas 81. This led to many questioning whether 'Demolidor', who was born in Para, Brazil had any connections with Israel.

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During his appearance at the post-fight press conference, Pereira explained his reasoning for walking out with the aforementioned flag. 'Demolidor' stated that he had friends in Israel through his actions, he wanted to express his support in the country's ongoing war against Hamas.

"It is because of the war. I have many friends in Israel, and I saw same videos that broke my heart. I have a kid now, and I saw some videos with kids… I felt like I had to show support to Israel,” said Michel Pereira [translated by @AgFight].

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Michel Pereira's actions took place just days after the UFC lifted its ban on fighters walking out with country flags.

Pereira locked horns against Andre Petroski in a middleweight clash on the main card of the event. The bout was a short-lived affair as the Brazilian knocked Petroski out in the opening minutes of the fight.

With the impressive win, Pereira extended his winning streak to 6-0.

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Puneet has a total of 2.5 years of experience and specializes in reporting on MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication, which aided him in his writing skills.

The iconic interim featherweight title fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes at UFC 189 in 2015 ignited Puneet’s passion for the sport. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira stands out as Puneet’s favorite MMA fighter as he's drawn to 'Do Bronx's' captivating background story and entertaining persona. He is a believer of MMA being the world’s no.1 combat sport as opposed to Boxing.

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Edited by Puneet Sharma