Alexander Salvador Perez (born March 21, 1992) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and currently competes in

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). As of December 6, 2022, he is #6 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Background

Perez is of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

descent and has eight siblings. He started wrestling in the sixth grade alongside his two brothers Silverio Esparza and Julian Perez. Perez represent

West Hills College Lemoore West Hills College Lemoore is a public community college in Lemoore, California. It was built in 2002 and serves students in the San Joaquin Valley. In addition, classes are offered at Lemoore Naval Air Station. West Hills College Lemoore is part ...

in wrestling and he was the regional champion and All-American wrestler in his sophomore year in college. After Perez completed high school, he began helping friends train for their MMA fights due to his wrestling experience.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Perez fought all of his fights in United States where he made his professional debut on May 6, 2011, at TPF 9. He faced Jesus Castro and knockout Castro in round one. He amassed a total of 16-4 before joining Dana White's Contender Series 5, facing Kevin Gray. He defeated Gray, and with the win, he was signed by UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Perez made his promotional debut on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega against Carlos John de Tomas. He won the fight via submission in round two. On February 24, 2018, Perez faced Eric Shelton at UFC on Fox: Emmett vs. Stephens. At the weigh-ins, Perez weighed in at 126.5 pounds, a half pound over the flyweight non-title fight upper limit of 126 pounds. As a result, the bout proceeded at catchweight and Perez was fined 20% of his purse which went to Shelton. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Perez faced Jose Torres on August 9, 2018, at

UFC 227 ''UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2'' was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championsh ...

. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Perez faced

Joseph Benavidez Joseph Rolando Benavidez (born July 31, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Benavidez was born on July 31, 1984, in San An ...

on November 30, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale. He lost the fight via technical knockout out in round one. Perez faced

Mark De La Rosa Mark Anthony De La Rosa (born August 31, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who fights in the flyweight division. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Fort Worth, Texas in the U ...

in a bantamweight bout on March 30, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 2 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 30, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Backgr ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Perez was scheduled to face

Sergio Pettis Sergio Jerome Pettis (born August 18, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed with Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Pettis competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

on September 21, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 159 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, Perez pulled out of the bout on August 26 citing an injury. Perez faced

Jordan Espinosa Jordan Andrew Espinosa (born November 8, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. He is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Espinosa wrestled with the West Mesa High S ...

on January 25, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 166 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 166'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 25, 2020 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, ...

. He won the fight via an arm-triangle choke in round one. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

award. Perez's arm triangle was an on the fly adjustment and the first time he had submitted someone from that position. Perez was expected to face

Kai Kara-France James Kaiwhare Kara-France (born March 26, 1993) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC flyweight ...

on May 16, 2020. However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Instead Perez faced

Jussier Formiga Jussier da Silva Viera Formiga (born April 14, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Formiga most notably competed in the UFC and is the former Shooto South Ameri ...

on June 6, 2020, at

UFC 250 ''UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 6, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. He won the fight via first-round technical knockout. This win earned him the ''

''. Perez was expected to face

Brandon Moreno Brandon Carrillo Moreno (born December 7, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Flyweight Champion, and the cu ...

on November 21, 2020, at

UFC 255 ''UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 21, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. However, on October 2, it was announced that Perez would face

Deiveson Figueiredo Deiveson Alcântara Figueiredo (born December 18, 1987) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the two-time and current UFC Flyw ...

, replacing an injured

Cody Garbrandt Cody Garbrandt (born July 7, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Garbrandt is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. ...

for the

UFC Flyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

at the same event. He lost the fight via guillotine choke submission in round one. Perez was scheduled to meet

Matt Schnell Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Allia ...

on May 15, 2021, at

UFC 262 ''UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 15, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship b ...

. However, for undisclosed reasons Perez was forced to pull out from the event and was replaced by

Rogério Bontorin Rogério Raab Bontorin (born 25 April 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2013, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

. Perez was scheduled to face

Askar Askarov Askar Askarov (russian: Аскар Сайпулаевич Аскаров; born 9 October 1992) is a Russian mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Askaro ...

on July 31, 2021, on UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland. However, Askarov pulled out of the fight in early July citing injury. In turn, Perez was removed from the card entirely and rescheduled to face

four weeks later on August 28, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze. However, for undisclosed reasons, the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. However, the bout was yet again moved for unknown reasons to

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. At the weigh-ins, Alex Perez weighed in at 126.25 pounds, a quarter-pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. Shortly after the weigh-ins, officials had announced that the bout had been cancelled due to Schnell withdrawing from the event because of a medical issue. The pair was rescheduled to

UFC 271 ''UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 12, 2022 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Middleweight Champio ...

on February 12, 2022. At weigh-ins, Perez came in at 128 pounds and did not attempt to try again, resulting in Matt Schnell refusing to accept the catchweight bout and the fight being canceled. Perez faced

Alexandre Pantoja Alexandre Pantoja Passidomo (born, April 16, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, currently fighting for the UFC and is the flyweight champion of the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil. As of August 20, 2022, he is #2 ...

on July 30, 2022, at

UFC 277 ''UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 30, 2022, at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Women's Bantamweight Cha ...

. He lost the fight via a neck crank submission early in the first round. Perez was scheduled to face

Amir Albazi Amir Albazi (born October 27, 1993) is an Iraqi mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the UFC. As of December 19, 2022, he is #7 in the UFC flyweight rankings. Early life Amir was born in Baghdad. When he was seven y ...

on December 17, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 216 ''UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 216, UFC on ESPN+ 74'' and ''UFC Vegas 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 17, 2022, at the ...

. However, he pulled out due to undisclosed reasons in late October and was replaced by

Brandon Royval Brandon Matthew Royval (born August 6, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, Royval has also forme ...

. Perez was scheduled to face

on February 12, 2023, at

UFC 284 ''UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Background The event will mark the promoti ...

. However, Kara-France was pull from of the fight, citing a knee injury and the bout was cancelled. Perez is scheduled to face

Manel Kape Manuel Pedro Gomes (born November 14, 1993) better known as Manel Kape, is an Angolan mixed martial artist currently competing as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed fo ...

on March 25, 2023 at

UFC on ESPN 43 ''UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 43'') is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on March 25, 2023, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, United ...

Personal life

Alex and his wife have a son (born 2021).

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Two times) * Tachi Palace ** Tachi Palace Flyweight Champion (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Kevin Gray , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , Dana White's Contender Series 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Andrew Natividad , Submission (anaconda choke) , TPF 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 , Jared Papazian , Submission (armbar) , TPF 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:26 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 , Adam Antolin , Submission (guillotine choke) , TPF 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Martin Sandoval , Decision (unanimous) , TPF 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Anthony Figueroa , Decision (unanimous) , TPF 22 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Del Hawkins , TKO (punches) , TPF 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Eloy Garza , Decision (unanimous) , TPF 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Jeff Carson , Submission (standing guillotine) , TPF 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Peter Baltimore , Decision (unanimous) , MEZ Sports: Pandemonium 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Carlos DeSoto , TKO (punches) , TPF 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Alex Living people 1992 births American male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters