Fighters often face unexpected challenges, but what happened at Dana White’s Contender Series this week was truly bizarre. Imagine training for months, cutting weight, and flying to Vegas for the big break. Then, minutes before showtime, decide to call it quits. Twice. That is exactly what Quemuel Ottoni did.
The Brazilian middleweight was set to face Kody Steele on DWCS. Ottoni had a claim to fame. He had beaten current UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira in MMA. But Ottoni’s nerves got the better of him. An hour before the fight, he told officials he wasn’t feeling it. Hand wraps off, fight canceled.
Then, Ottoni changed his mind, and the fight was back on. Dana White said matchmaker Sean Shelby rushed to give Ottoni a pep talk after the first withdrawal. It worked for a hot minute. But shortly after, Quemuel Ottoni pulled out again.
Fans now feel that Kody Steele should get the contract. He was ready to rumble, opponent or no opponent. Even White praised Steele’s attitude and confirmed he would get his show and win money.
Quemuel Ottoni Sees Both Sides Of The Attention That Comes From Beating Alex Pereira
Back in 2015, Ottoni faced a kickboxer named Alex Pereira in an MMA bout. Pereira was making his debut in the sport, and Ottoni won by submission in the third round. Fast forward to 2024, and Pereira is now a two-division UFC champion. He’s a big deal in the fighting world. And suddenly, everyone’s talking about the guy who beat him.
For Ottoni, this unexpected fame is a double-edged sword. It’s opened doors, sure. But it’s also brought some unwanted attention. He revealed that it brought him to the Contender Series but also brought some serious criticism.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MMA stories via Google! Follow Us
“It has obviously helped me, but I don’t know if [that win] is good or bad. The past two years were full of criticism, a lot of bad things came with it. It was good, of course, because it has given me this chance [at DWCS], but it has brought a ton of bad weight along with it,” Ottoni said in an interview with MMA Fighting.
Unfortunately, Quemuel Ottoni’s fear of criticism was too much, and he decided to bail out of his DWCS fight. This left his prospective opponent, Kody Steele, without a fight. This incident reminds us that behind all the glory and fame, these fighters are still human.
