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Dana White Sounds Off 'He Looked Like He Was Stuck in the Mud'

UFC Kansas City at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday was a big deal. How do we know that? Because the card was not a pay-per-view, but UFC President Dana White was not only in attendance, but he held court with the media following the event.

If there is ever a surefire way to know how important a UFC card is to the company, you can gauge that by whether White is there and if he speaks to the media.

As usual White didn't pull punches on any subject and that includes when he talked about Michel Pereira's performance in his loss against Abus Magomedov. White said Pereira didn't look like himself and agreed with a quote from someone on social media who said the Brazilian looked like he was "stuck in the mud."

White also cut Pereira some slack and told members of the media that they would need to talk to the fighter himself to get more information about his performance. White also said the Kansas City fans who were booing Pereira and Magomedov may have been a bit spoiled by a fight card that featured seven finishes.

The criticism wasn’t overly harsh, but it still landed loudly because of the expectations Pereira has set for himself over the years. Known for his wild, high-energy style, Pereira instead delivered a flat and largely ineffective performance that left many fans questioning what had gone wrong.

White had a point when he intimated the fight wasn't as bad as some fans suggested. Also, while there was no argument given about the judges' scorecard, Pereira out-landed Magomedov in the second and third rounds, per UFC Stats, though his connect rate was much lower across the board.

UFC fans, especially those in attendance, weren’t shy about voicing their disappointment. After a night packed with finishes and standout moments, Pereira’s slow-paced bout with Magomedov felt like a hard stop to the momentum of the event. In a sport where excitement often counts as much as victory, delivering a lackluster fight in front of a hot crowd can cause more damage to a fighter’s standing than a loss on paper.

The immediate fallout is clear: Pereira will likely fall out of the UFC's middleweight rankings after this loss. Sitting at No. 14 heading into the fight, his back-to-back defeats — including a brutal TKO loss to Anthony Hernandez in 2024 — have made it difficult to justify his place among the division’s elite. I question Pereira's desire to be great.

Leading into Saturday’s event, there wasn’t much public pressure on Pereira beyond a general expectation that he would bounce back from the Hernandez fight. Instead, he entered the Octagon looking tentative and disengaged, allowing Magomedov to control the pace and rhythm almost effortlessly.

For those who had hoped to see the old version of Pereira, it was a frustrating reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in MMA.

Looking ahead, Pereira will likely have to rebuild from scratch. Without a ranking next to his name, he’ll probably be booked against another unranked opponent in his next fight. How he responds will determine whether this two-fight skid is the start of a larger downfall or just a temporary detour.

The UFC tends to move fast when it comes to matchmaking, and Pereira will need to show urgency if he wants to reclaim any of his former shine.

Here is a look at all of the results from UFC Kansas City.

Ian Machado Garry defeats Carlos Prates by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Zhang Mingyang defeats Anthony Smith by TKO (elbows) at 4:03 of Round 1
David Onama defeats Giga Chikadze by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Abus Magomedov defeats Michel Pereira by decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Randy Brown defeats Nicolas Dalby by KO (right hook) at 1:39 of Round 2
Ikram Aliskerov defeats Andre Muniz by TKO (strikes) at 4:54 of Round 1
Matt Schnell defeats Jimmy Flick by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Evan Elder defeats Gauge Young by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chris Gutierrez defeats John Castaneda by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Da’Mon Blackshear defeats Alatengheili by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Malcolm Wellmaker defeats Cameron Saaiman by KO (right hand) at 1:59 of Round 1
Jaqueline Amorim defeats Polyana Viana by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:49 of Round 2
Timmy Cuamba defeats Roberto Romero by TKO (jumping knee and strikes) at 3:55 of Round 2
Joselyne Edwards defeats Chelsea Chandler by TKO (strikes) at 2:31 of Round 1

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