Despite only a few weeks of preparation, flyweight Alex Perez predicts he’ll earn a hard-fought decision this weekend when he faces Matheus Nicolau.
After suffering back-to-back-to-back losses in the octagon, former title challenger Alex Perez enters UFC Vegas 91 with a point to prove; and whilst many a short-notice replacement would be looking for a quick night at the office, the veteran flyweight warrior is instead prepared for ‘war’.
Alex Perez steps up on short notice to save UFC Vegas 91 main event
This weekend’s UFC Vegas 91 main event was originally meant to be Matheus Nicolau against surging contender Manel Kape; however, the Portuguese ‘Starboy’ was forced to withdraw from the bout with an injury.
Nicolau will now face former title challenger Alex Perez, who is stepping in on short notice after suffering a razor-close decision loss to Muhammad Mokaev only a few weeks ago in March.
Perez might be riding into UFC Vegas 91 on a three-fight losing streak, but a reminder that those losses have come against top-tier talent in the form of former champion Deiveson Figueiredo, current champion Alexandre Pantoja, and a potential future champion in Mokaev.
Alex Perez expects this weekend’s main event to be a ‘war’ against Nicolau
Speaking to veteran MMA journalist Marcel Dorff via the UFC op Eurosport YouTube channel, Alex Perez stated that he’s looking forward to a stand-up battle with Nicolau, whose only three losses as a professional have indeed all come by way of KO/TKO.
“I think it’s a good fight, obviously we both want to keep it on the feet, he’s not real big on taking people down and doing Jiu-jitsu so I like that – I like to punch people in the face so that’s always fun.”
“I think we’re obviously two of the best guys in the division so I think people can expect a good fight and a good 25-minute war,” predicted the 32-year-old.
Despite the losing streak, Perez occupies the #8 spot in the UFC flyweight rankings and knows that a big win on short notice would likely catapult him back into the Top five – Nicolau holds the #5 ranking ahead of Kai-Kara France, Amir Albazi, Brandon Moreo, and Brandon Royval.
“I mean hopefully it ends early but he’s tough anywhere, he has good Jui-Jitsu being a black belt, and he’s good on the feet,” noted Perez, before reiterating that he’s “expecting a fun fight” on Saturday evening.
“I believe in my training, and I believe in my skills, obviously I’ve not had the best of luck but at the end of the day, I’ll gamble on myself every day of the week and that’s what I’m doing for this fight.”
The title picture has shifted since his loss to Mokaev
Many within the MMA community were expecting Muhammad Mokaev to get the next shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s flyweight title, yet that opportunity was instead given to rising Australian star Steve Erceg after his viral KO win over Matt Schnell.
Breaking down the flyweight title picture, Perez noted that whilst ‘The Punisher’ might have faced higher levels of competition than Erceg in the UFC, the opportunity to compete for a world title comes down to who impressed the matchmakers the most in their last fight:
“For me, it’s just about how good did you look in your last performance, he [Erceg] had a decision versus David [Dvorak], finishes Alessandro [Costa], finishes [Matt] Schnell and knocks him out – you’re just as good as your last performance, that’s the name of the game.”
“I think that’s why they gave it to him; I agree that Mokaev has a way stronger schedule with more fights in the UFC, but in his last fight, he didn’t look that impressive,” explained Perez.
Perez is also looking to use the recent loss to Mokaev as motivation for the coming clash with Nicolau, and eventually earning a rematch with the undefeated British contender:
“I think I won but at the same time too, I think that I didn’t do enough which kind of sucks, but at the end of the day I fought a kid who no one wanted to fight – I mean hopefully I win this [weekend] and get a rematch someday.”
Alex Perez vs Matheus Nicolau goes down this Saturday from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.