Kamaru Usman has seen all and done all in MMA. Considered by many to be the greatest welterweight of all time, Usman is one of the fiercest competitors the sport has ever seen. However, the most disrespectful thing he saw was during the UFC fight between Michel Pereira and Zelim Imadaev.
Usman recounted the disrespectful moment when he previewed UFC 301 fights with Henry Cejudo on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. Usman has given Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns the worst losses of their MMA career. For Usman to say what Perreira did to Imadaev was most disrespectful, it means something.
When he [Michel Pereira] fought Zelim [Imadaev], my guy was so technical, so dominant in that fight. He started slapping him. That was one of the most disrespectful things. He would pick his hand up, show it to you, and say, ‘I’m gonna smack you,’ and then smack him. That’s some of the most disrespectful things I’ve seen inside the octagon.
Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound podcast
Pereira won the fight against Imadaev via rear naked choke submission. It was also the start of the Brazilian’s current 7-fight winning streak. Unfortunately, UFC released Imadaev after the loss, making his UFC record 0-3. Soon after the release, Imadaev made a controversial statement supporting a terrorist action of a Chechen teen, garnering scrutiny and criticism.
Pereira’s upcoming fight is on the main card of UFC 301 against Ihor Potieria who replaced Makhmud Muradov on short notice. Since moving up to middleweight, Pereira has finished both his fights in the first round. As such, the oddsmakers favor a first-round finish for the Brazilian. Moreover, he is also one of the biggest betting favorites on the fight card.
Kamaru Usman speaks on the deceptive style of Michel Pereira
Kamaru Usman was the pound-for-pound king after he defended the UFC welterweight title multiple times. As such, he always kept a close eye on the contenders in the division. Therefore, he closely watched Michel Pereira when the Brazilian fought at welterweight.
Kamaru Usman on Michel Pereira (Image via: IMAGO, Instagram)As revealed on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman studied the fighting style of Pereira. Interestingly, Usman found something fascinating about the Brazilian, which he revealed on his podcast with Henry Cejudo.
The one thing that’s very deceiving about Michel Pereira is the fact that, yeah, he’s cr*zy, yeah, he’s unorthodox, yeah, he’s jumping off cage, he’s doing backflips, he’s doing all this cr*zy sh*t. At the same time, he’s extremely technical when he wants to be.
Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound podcast
As such, Usman picked Pereira to be victorious at UFC 301. However, Cejudo picked Ihor Potieria to spring an upset in enemy territory against Pereira. Nevertheless, the fight promises to be a fans’ delight, due to the knockout prowess the Brazilian and the Ukrainian possess.
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