Ailin Perez explains twerking on UFC Paris opponent's face after Ariel Helwani labels the act 'disrespectful'
UFC bantamweight fighter Ailin Perez has given an explanation for her post-fight celebration at UFC Paris on Sept. 28. After scoring a first-round submission victory, Perez proceeded to twerk on her opponent Darya Zheleznyakova's face.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani posted a clip of the incident on X and claimed the Argentinian fighter's actions were disrespectful. Perez responded to Helwani by giving an explanation for her actions.
"My friend Ariel Helwani, Darya said some very disrespectful things about me before the fight so I had to do it. I would love to tell you more about it on your new show."
Check out Ailin Perez's comments below:
Perez and Zheleznyakova competed on the prelims of the Sept. 28 card, which was held at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. During the weigh-ins for the event, Perez came up overweight by half a pound and the matchup had to be changed to a catchweight bout (136.5 pounds). 'Fiona' was fined 20 percent of her fight purse, which went to her opponent.
On Saturday night, the Argentinian ran through her opponent and submitted her with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of the contest. The victory helped her extend her win streak to 4-0 and it also marked her first win via finish in the UFC.
Perez spoke to former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping in her post-fight octagon interview, where she shared her desire to become the first UFC champion to hail from Argentina.
"I am very happy. This is a victory we worked hard for. We knew we were gonna win and I wanna be the first Argentinian champion."
Check out Ailin Perez's post-fight octagon interview below: