Pereira vs Salikhov Set For Jan. 15 Event

One of Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) most entertaining fighters on the roster is set to make his return to action as Michel Pereira has been booked to face off against Muslim Salikhov at the promotion’s first event of 2022.

MMA Fighting got word of the booking of the Welterweight scrap earlier today (Thurs., Nov. 4, 2021) via Pereira’s manager Rafael Alejarra, which is lined up to take place at a “Fight Night” event on Jan. 15, 2022 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“This fight is a career-changing moment for Michel,” Alejarra said. “We’ll take this guy’s spot in the top-15 with a win. Once we’re ranked, we’ll be listened to more in the organization and start to face the top contenders. We can’t get to the top of the division if we don’t fight top competition.”

Pereira only competed once in 2021, earning a unanimous decision win over Niko Price in a highly-entertaining affair at UFC 264 in July. Currently on a three-fight win streak, Pereira earned two straight wins over Khaos Williams and Zelim Imadaev in 2020, which were preceded by back-to-back defeats at the hands of Diego Sanchez and Tristan Connelly.

As for Salikhov, he is currently riding a five-fight win streak and is 5-1 overall inside the Octagon. He was last seen defeating Francisco Trinaldo at UFC Vegas 28 in June of 2021, his lone fight of this year.

The ESPN+-streamed event is expected to be headlined by a pivotal Featherweight showdown between Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar, while Katelyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia throw down in a women’s Flyweight rematch.

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