Michel Pereira suffered his first UFC loss on Saturday to newcomer Tristan Connelly at UFC Vancouver, but he suffered a lot prior to the fight as well, according to a recent statement.

“Demolidor” brings a charismatic and exciting style to the cage that has been rarely, if ever, seen in the UFC Octagon. Pereira also missed the welterweight limit by a pound prior to Saturday’s disappointing defeat.

Pereira released a statement via his Instagram page explaining the missed weight cut, along with his response to the criticism he has received for his performance — which included back flips and several other Capoeira style movements.

“Guys, many bad things happened,” Pereira explained (h/t MMA Fighting). “I got tired but not because of the things I did, but for the huge weight cut I had. I cut 17.5kg (38.5 pounds) by myself, with no on else (to help), and dealing with the stress of helping with my cornerman’s visa who wasn’t there. Everyone else had someone to help, I was alone there. It’s not an excuse, but I know I’m a fighter that grows as rounds goes by, but I got tired since my body shut down in the beginning of the second round.

“I fight for you guys, to put on a show or you. Let’s support more and criticize less. I fight this way to make UFC more fun. Fighters today only think about winning and put on boring fights, and that’s why MMA is decreasing so much. I want to make my fans happy by watching my fights, but this time things happened and led to my defeat. I lost to myself. I will be back to do it even better. You’ll see I have cardio to fight three rounds no problem.”

The bout between Connelly, who took the fight on just five days notice, and Pereira was awarded the “Fight of the Night” for UFC Vancouver. However, due to Pereira missing weight, Connelly received the full $100,000 bonus for his efforts.

What do you make of Michel Pereira’s fighting style?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/16/2019.