UFC star Jorge Masvidal has dismissed claims from Michel Pereira that he slid into his wife’s DMs on Instagram.

In the modern era of elite mixed martial arts, you clearly need to possess a very special set of skills in order to climb up through the ranks - especially in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, you also need to be willing to sell a fight by any means necessary, which is probably why we’ve seen so many fighters engage in trash talk to secure bouts with those higher up in the rankings.

Last Saturday night, the always-entertaining Michel Pereira was the latest to test the waters with this strategy after he defeated​​ Santiago Ponzinibbio in an absolute slugfest. The Brazilian sensation noted to the media that Masvidal had sent an emoji to his wife without sending it to Pereira too, with Michel taking that as a sign of disrespect.

The accusation was enough to get the attention of ‘Gamebred’ and in response, the 37-year-old mourned the current state of MMA and provided proof that indicated he didn’t do anything wrong.

“How crazy a world and how far has society fallen that this idiot @UfcPereira would use his wife  to hopefully 1 day get a paycheck and create a fake narrative to try and get a fight with me when clearly he sees she slid in my dm? Wishing you guys the best #marriagecounselor”

Could we see Masvidal vs Pereira?

Logically speaking, this is the kind of showdown that could make a lot of sense for both fighters.

Masvidal is coming off the back of humbling defeats at the hands of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington with some wondering whether or not he can still get the job done at this level.

His preference will clearly be to get in there with a striker as opposed to someone known for their wrestling prowess. As such, a meeting with Pereira could be exactly what he needs to try and get back on the horse.

Pereira, meanwhile, has won four straight and wants a step up in opposition - which is precisely what Masvidal represents.