Erik Gregorio Pérez Ruvalcaba (born November 19, 1989) is a Mexican

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having past and present UFC fighters Jorge Masv ...

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

UFC 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

and

Combate Americas Combate Global (formerly known as Combate Americas) is an Hispanic America, Hispanic American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company founded in 2011 by current-CEO Campbell McLaren and based in New York City, New Yor ...

Personal life

Erik Pérez was born in

México Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Pérez grew from a family of sportsmen; his older brother Jorge Pérez is a professional boxer, while his brothers Iván Pérez, and

Jair Pérez In the Biblical Book of Judges, Jair or Yair ( ''Yā’īr'', "he enlightens") was a man from Gilead. He was of the Tribe of Manasseh and also descended from the Tribe of Judah (Numbers 32:39-41, 1 Chronicles 2:21-23). Jair judged Israel for 22 ...

both are fellow mixed martial artists. Érik, Iván, and Jair all three fought together in

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Upon his permanent move to United States, Erik Pérez established a full-time training camp at

Jackson's MMA Jackson Wink MMA Academy (formerly known as Jackson's Submission Fighting) is a mixed martial arts gym based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The gym has been featured in several sports documentaries and has been called one of the best MMA gyms in th ...

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. Pérez faced John Albert on June 1, 2012, at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale replacing Byron Bloodworth who was removed from the bout. Pérez won the fight via controversial armbar submission as Albert did not appear to verbally submit or tap out but the fight was stopped by referee Kim Winslow. Pérez next faced Ken Stone on August 11, 2012, at

UFC 150 ''UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 11, 2012, at the Ball Arena, Pepsi Center now known as Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Background A fight between Dennis Hal ...

. He won via first-round KO in 17 seconds. With this win, Pérez obtained the fastest Bantamweight knockout in UFC and WEC Bantamweight history, beating

Damacio Page Damacio Page (born September 30, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division. Page competed for the WEC, the UFC, LFA, Pancrase, King of the Cage, and also fought at K-1 Premium Dyna ...

's 18-second KO over

Marcos Galvao Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) * Marcos family Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Né ...

. Pérez fought Byron Bloodworth on December 29, 2012, at

UFC 155 ''UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 29, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background A Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez rematch ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Pérez was expected to face

Johnny Bedford Johnny Bedford (born January 6, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. A professional from 2003 to 2017, he fought in the UFC, Bellator, the Legacy Fighting Alliance, and was a competitor on Spike TV's The Ult ...

on April 27, 2013, at

UFC 159 ''UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held on April 27, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background Jimy Hettes was expected to face Steven Siler at the event; however, Hettes was forced out of the bou ...

. However, Pérez pulled out of the bout just days before the event citing an injury and was replaced by

Bryan Caraway Bryan Caraway (born August 4, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Battlefield Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, Caraway has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and the WEC. He was ...

. Pérez faced

Takeya Mizugaki (born December 16, 1983) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2005 to 2020, Mizugaki also competed for Absolute C ...

on August 28, 2013, at

UFC Fight Night 27 ''UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 27'') was a mixed martial arts event held on August 28, 2013, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

He lost the fight via split decision. Pérez next faced

Edwin Figueroa Edwin Richard Figueroa (born July 31, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Figueroa fought in regional promotions in his home state ...

at UFC 167. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Pérez faced

on June 7, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 42 ''UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 42'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 7, 2014, at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Background The event was the first that the organization hoste ...

. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Pérez was expected to face

Marcus Brimage Marcus Clyde Brimage (born April 6, 1985) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a competitor on The Ultimate Figh ...

on November 15, 2014, at

UFC 180 ''UFC 180: Werdum vs. Hunt'' was a mixed martial arts event held on November 15, 2014, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event was the first the organization hosted in Mexico and was so popular that all 21,000 tic ...

. However, Pérez pulled out of the bout in mid-October citing a shoulder injury. Pérez was briefly linked to a fight with

Damian Stasiak Damian Stasiak (born February 20, 1990) is a former Polish mixed martial artist recently competing in the Featherweight division of the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). A professional competitor since 2011, he formerly competed for the Ultimate Fi ...

on November 21, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale. However, Stasiak was removed from the bout and replaced by

Taylor Lapilus Taylor Lapilus (born 8 April 1992) is a French mixed martial artist and boxer who is currently signed to the PFL. He formerly competed in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is also a former TKO Major League MMA ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Pérez next faced Francisco Rivera on July 30, 2016, at

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

. He won the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Pérez faced

Felipe Arantes Felipe Arantes (born 9 February 1988) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor from 2008 to 2018, Arantes mostly fought in Brazil before signing with ...

on November 5, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale. He was awarded a split decision victory. Perez signed with Combate Americas on October 31, 2017, after fighting out his contract with the UFC.

Combate Americas

Following his departure from the UFC, Pérez signed a multi-fight contract with

. On March 15, 2018, it was announced that Pérez would be fighting against top-ranked fighter in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, David "DJ" Fuentes. The fight took place on April 20, and Erik won the fight by knockout. Pérez was expected to headline Combate Americas Mexico vs. USA against

John Castañeda John Castañeda (born December 18, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, he formerly competed for Combate Global. Ba ...

on October 13, 2018, but the bout was postponed to a later date because Castaneda caught staph infection. Pérez then headlined Combate Americas Combate Monterrey on November 17, 2018, against Andres Ayala. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in the first round.

Bellator MMA

Following a two-fight stint at

, Pérez signed a multi-fight deal with

. Pérez made his promotional debut against Toby Misech at Bellator 236 on December 20, 2019. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Pérez faced Josh Hill at Bellator 244 on August 21, 2020. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Pérez was expected to face Brian Moore at Bellator 258 on May 7, 2021. However, Moore tested positive for COVID and pulled out of the bout. He was replaced by Blaine Shutt. Pérez won the bout via unanimous decision. Pérez was scheduled to face

Brett Johns Brett Johns (born 21 February 1992) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division of PFL. Prior to signing with PFL, Johns competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA ...

on October 16, 2021, at

Bellator 268 Bellator 268: Nemkov vs. Anglickas (also known as ''Bellator Phoenix'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on October 16, 2021, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The eve ...

. However on October 5, it was announced that Perez was injured and the bout was scrapped. Pérez, replacing Jared Scoggins, was scheduled to face Cee Jay Hamilton on April 22, 2022, at

Bellator 278 ''Bellator 278: Velasquez vs. Carmouche'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 22, 2022, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United St ...

. Pérez in turn pulled out of the bout and Hamilton was not rescheduled, instead being paid his show money, despite not weighing in or fighting. Pérez faced

Enrique Barzola Enrique Johnatan Barzola Acosta (born 28 April 1989) is a Peruvian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). He was the lightweight winner on The Ultimate Fighter: ...

on March 10, 2023, at Bellator 292. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

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

** Fastest knockout in UFC Bantamweight division history (0:17) (vs. Ken Stone) **Fourth highest takedown accuracy percentage in UFC Bantamweight division history (55.9%) **Sixth highest significant strike defense in UFC Bantamweight division history (66.7%) **Seventh fewest strikes absorbed-per-minute in UFC Bantamweight division history (2.09) **UFC.com Awards ***2012: Ranked #2 Newcomer of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 20–9 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 292 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–8 , Blaine Shutt , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 258 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–8 , Josh Hill , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 244 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–7 , Toby Misech , KO (punches) , Bellator 235 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 , Andres Ayala , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Combate Americas - Combate Monterrey , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 18–6 , David Fuentes , KO (punches) , Combate Americas - Combate Estrellas 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:22 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Francisco Rivera , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale: Magny vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:52 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 167 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Byron Bloodworth , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Ken Stone , KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, United States , Fastest knockout in UFC bantamweight history , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , John Albert , Submission (armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 ,

Paul McVeigh Paul Francis McVeigh (born 6 December 1977) is a Northern Irish former footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, Burnley and Luton Town in the English leagues. Club career Born in Belfast, McVeigh started his career at Totte ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

BAMMA 8 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Roo ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , James Brum , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

BAMMA 7 This is a listing of event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership ''BAMMA 1'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts on 27 June 2009 at the Roo ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England , Catchweight (140 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 , Douglas Frey , Decision (unanimous) , Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Collin County, Texas, Collin and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth In ...

, United States , Catchweight (150 lbs) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 , Jesse Thorton , Submission (rear-naked choke) , STFC 15: Nature of the Beast , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:34 ,

McAllen, Texas McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, acros ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–4 , France Atala , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Triple A Promotions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 , Jason Sampson , Decision (split) , STFC: 9/3/10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , David Fuentes , Submission (armbar) , STFC 11: Night of Champions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:01 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Jeremiah Castillo , Submission (armbar) , SCA: Duke City Fall Brawl 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Fabian Jacquez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , DCMMAS: Duke City MMA Series 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Albert Martinez , TKO (punches) , STFC 6: Evolution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Odessa, Texas Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Sabino Becerra , Submission (triangle choke) , STFC 4: Fuentes vs. King , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:29 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , Josh Scales , TKO (punches) , STFC 3: War Zone , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Alfredo Morales , Decision (split) , Warriors Fighting Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Tim Snyder , Decision (split) , STFC 2: Aftershock , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 100,243 at the 2020 census, and in 2022, its estimated population was 104,294, making it the second-largest city in Hidalgo County, and th ...

, United States ,

Karate Combat record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1-1 , Adam Noi , Decision (unanimous) , Karate Combat 49 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 , Eoghan Chelmiah , Decision (split) , Karate Combat 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Mexico city Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Erik Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mexican male mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Living people 1989 births People from Guadalupe, Nuevo León Sportspeople from Nuevo León 21st-century Mexican sportsmen