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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC middleweight Michel Pereira has joined the ongoing efforts to assist those affected by severe floods in Brazil this week, less than two weeks after celebrating his eighth consecutive win in the Octagon.
Pereira, who is from Para, Brazil, has posted multiple videos to his social media this week showing rescue efforts of animals stranded in floods that have reportedly resulted in 149 deaths and displacement of half a million people.
“Another day of battle around here,” Pereira wrote on Instagram, with pictures of him on a Jet Ski in Rio Grande Do Sul. “Today there were more than 15 animals saved from this immensity of water. The scenes I’m seeing are heartbreaking and even the roughest like me, but I follow my purpose of helping those who need it most. We are one people. We are Brazilians.”
Pereira can be seen carrying dogs out of flooded residences, walking across partially submerged rooftops and collecting animals in boats on flooded streets.
Parts of Rio Grande do Sul have seen more than 25 inches of rain this month, according to national weather service INMET. Pereira was in Rio De Janeiro earlier this month for the UFC 301 pay-per-view event.
The 30-year-old is in the middle of arguably the best stretch of his professional career and could crack the UFC’s 185-pound top 15 rankings for the first time with a win in his next contest.