Longtime UFC veteran Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez (29-12, 10 KOs, 6 SUBs) will meet high-flying Michel Pereira (23-10, 10 KOs, 6 SUBs) at UFC on ESPN+ 25 on Saturday, February 15 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 8pm ET.
Michel Periera might be the rare UFC fighter that takes the entertainment aspect of fighting too seriously.
This is a man who got memed to death after his last matchup: against a tough fighter in Tristan Connelly, the Brazilian suddenly broke out into a gymnastics floor routine - what is the point of doing a backflip during a fight with a guy trying to take your head off? Predictably, Pereira gassed early and lost the fight against a guy he was favored to beat. On top of that, Pereira’s post-fight statement blamed the loss on a bad weight cut instead of the antics that required burning a ton of energy.
It was fun as hell to watch, but the MMA crowd isn’t won over so easily, especially since we’d rather see a guy with obvious potential evolve into a contender instead of clown. But there is a silver lining here: he got people talking and provided MMA Reddit gif ammunition that’ll be reposted until eternity.
This Saturday, Pereira’s followup comes against the one and only Diego Sanchez. As weird as Pereira is inside the cage, Sanchez is equally so outside of it. “The Nightmare” is nearing the end of an illustrious career, but recent wins over Craig White and Mickey Gall show that he can still weed out up-and comers as needed.
The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with Pereira as a favorite, but let’s take a look at the online sportsbook and break down your best betting values. Live UFC betting lets you bet during the fight on real-time line updates.
UFC Fights at BookMaker.eu
Diego Sanchez +131
Michel Pereira -165
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +150 / -100
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Sanchez 2.83 / Pereira 3.36
Striking accuracy: Sanchez 37% / Pereira 54%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Sanchez 3.07 / Pereira 1.12
Striking defense: Sanchez 57% / Pereira 50%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Sanchez 1.48 / Pereira 0
Takedown accuracy: Sanchez 22% / Pereira N/A
Takedown defense: Sanchez 50% / Pereira N/A
Submission average: Sanchez 0.76 / Pereira N/A
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Pereira is well aware of the ridicule he’s getting, stating in recent interviews that he’s eager to shut his critics up. But the fact of the matter is that the 26-year old was doing the flips and Showtime strikes in regional competition - his viral videos are a big reason he was signed to the UFC in the first place.
But now he’s on the world’s biggest stage, will he tone it down? Because if he does, there could be a scary good fighter in that massive frame. It’s obvious that he’s an electric athlete, and he’s absolutely ripped on top of that. Right now, his striking is more flash than substance, but there is clear power in an extremely diverse offensive arsenal.
The question here is whether he can stave off Sanchez’s clinch and grappling. Pereira has yet to be tested by a wrestler inside the octagon, and Sanchez is single-minded in his approach. Having never developed an efficient striking game, if Diego lands takedowns he wins, if he’s forced to kickbox things get ugly fast.
UFC Odds Pick: Pereira to win at -165
There is a real possibility that Pereira goes off the rails again and drains his own stamina bar, but we’re leaning on him for a few reasons. First, Sanchez is 38 years old and is shopworn from a long career filled with bloody wars - holding off wild young lions like Pereira is not easy for aging vets. Sanchez no longer has the strength nor tenacity to impose his style against big athletic dudes, and his striking will be exposed by Pereira.
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