Stephanie Egger got her hand raised at UFC Paris last weekend. She earned her win after submitting Ailin Perez in the second round, during a closely fought contest. Since then, Egger has revealed she wasn’t thrilled with Perez’s pre-fight antics.
Perez, who was making her UFC debut at the event, drew attention for twerking on the stage during the ceremonial weigh-ins. In her post-fight press conference Egger shared her displeasure at the display.
“I have a judo background. I learned respect for my opponents,” Egger said (ht MMA Junkie). “If she wants to twerk, she can twerk. But when we are in the cage, it’s all about fighting and not twerking. I don’t like to talk much. I prefer to go in the cage and fight.”
Egger took the Perez fight on short notice, replacing Zarah Fairn Dos Santos. Less than a month earlier she fought Mayra Bueno Silva and lost a by first round submission.
“I had a fight three weeks ago, and I wasn’t happy with the result,” she said. “It was a bullshit result in my opinion, so I’m really happy that I could step in on short notice. When I got the call, I immediately said yes. It was the perfect timing for me.”
Perez is on record stating she likes to dance and twerk whenever possible. The Argentine fighter told MMA Junkie’s Spanish language podcast that this is the way she likes to “express” her happiness.
“Apart from being a fighter, I was also a dancer. I danced reggaeton, salsa, and bachata, so that’s in my blood,” she said.
“Many people say, ‘If you know how to dance, you know how to fight.’ I enjoy it, and that’s a way I express my happiness. I have the assassin side of me, and my happy part. That’s how [my nickname] ‘Fiona’ is. Princess Fiona [from Shrek] is an ogre who dances, who’s very sweet, but when it comes time to fight, she’s firm and moves forward. That’s why they call me that.”
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