Michel Pereira to face newcomer Andre Fialho at UFC Vegas 46

UFC signed Andre Fialho as a short-notice replacement for Muslim Salikhov against welterweight Michel Pereira at Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 46, multiple people with knowledge of the change told MMA Fighting. ESPN first reported the news.

Salikhov was forced out due to illness, MMA Fighting has learned.

UFC Vegas 46 will air live on ESPN+ and feature Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze in a featherweight main event at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Pereira (26-11, 2 no contests) is on a three-fight winning streak under the UFC banner over Niko Price, Khaos Williams and Zelim Imadaev, going 4-2 overall inside the octagon.

Fialho (14-3, 1 no contest), a veteran of Bellator, PFL and LFA, won four in a row by knockout in 2021, stopping James Vick at XMMA 1 before a trio of first-round victories under the UAE Warriors banner. The Portuguese fighter went 4-1 in Bellator between 2016 and 2018.