With Muslim Salikhov forced off this weekend’s UFC Vegas 46 card, Michel Pereira has a new opponent.
Pereira (26-11, 2NC) will face the newly signed Andre Fialho (14-3, 1NC) at Saturday’s event, the first card of the year for the UFC. ESPN was first to report news of the signing.
MMA Fighting originally reported Salikhov’s withdrawal, which is reportedly due to an undisclosed illness.
Fialho has made the rounds throughout his professional fighting career to date, competing for the likes of Bellator MMA, the PFL, LFA, and UAE Warriors. He’s currently sitting on a four-fight win streak, most recently stopping former UFC fighter Stefan Sekulic within a round.
The always entertaining Pereira has looked sharp in his last three fights, earning three straight wins between 2020 and 2021 and picking up a Performance of the Night bonus for choking out Zelim Imadaev. Most recently, “Demolidor” took home a unanimous decision victory against Niko Price.
UFC Vegas 46 takes place this Saturday, January 15 at the Apex in Las Vegas, and airs live on ESPN in the U.S. In the main event, featherweights Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze face off. The card to date breaks down as follows:
Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
Brandon Royval vs. Rogério Bontorin
Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman
Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito
Court McGee vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
Gabriel Benítez vs. T.J. Brown
Dakota Bush vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Brian Kelleher vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
Silvana Gomez Juarez vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
Jamie Pickett vs. Joseph Holmes
Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho
Update: Per a report by MMA Fighting, Pereira vs. Fialho has been pushed back a week. It will now take place as part of the UFC 270 card on January 22. The shift comes as a result of COVID-19 protocols.
