RUMOR Michel Pereira reportedly signs with Z Fight Night, faces Hwang In-su Dec. 19

Michel Pereira's next chapter may be in South Korea, where he would reconnect with the region that helped launch his career. Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana reported on Oct. 27 that the middleweight signed with Z Fight Night, the promotion led by Chan Sung Jung, the Korean Zombie, with a debut planned for December.

Viana's post gave no opponent, event or contract length. A day later, MK Sports journalist Kang Dae-ho reported that Pereira will meet Hwang In-su at ZFN 05 at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium. Hwang, per Kang, is a former Road FC middleweight champion who appeared on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2025. Kang also says Pereira won three straight Road FC fights before entering the UFC, and that his representatives explored a deal with Croatia's FNC, with better pay a priority. No final ZFN contract figure has been made public.

The move follows a rough run. Pereira, 33, lost a three-round unanimous decision to Shara Magomedov on June 27. Before that he beat Zachary Reese by split decision in February, after Kyle Daukaus knocked him out in 43 seconds the previous August. That loss came after defeats to Abus Magomedov and Anthony Hernandez, leaving him with one win in his last five.

It was not always so. Pereira had earlier put together three straight first-round finishes over Andre Petroski, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Ihor Potieria, and he also beat Khaos Williams and Santiago Ponzinibbio on the scorecards. He debuted in the UFC in May 2019 with a knockout of Danny Roberts. The UFC's athlete page currently lists him as not fighting, with a 32-15 record.

What to watch: an official ZFN announcement. Until the promotion confirms the signing, the date and the Hwang matchup, both remain reports from individual journalists.