"I kind of like try to stay away from those matchups" - Alex Perez names only condition he would fight Brandon Royval or Brandon Moreno (Exclusive)
Alex Perez wants to stay active but prefers to stay away from certain matchups within the top 10.
After his big win over Matheus Nicolau at UFC Vegas 91, Perez joined James Lynch in a Sportskeeda exclusive to discuss the options he now has in his career. When asked about the possibility of fighting top contenders Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno, Perez said he would be open to the idea but would prefer to fight either for the title due to his relationship with both.
Perez said:
"If I were to fight Brandon [Royval], I would want it to be for a title. Same thing for Moreno, too. We've trained together and spent time together because we have the same manager... There's certain guys that, I mean, I would fight them if I had to fight them but I would prefer to fight them for a title, obviously, even better."
View Alex Perez's comments on the future of his career from YouTube below:
The former title challenger related the opportunity to fight either Royval or Moreno to his previous fight with Jussier Formiga. Perez called Formiga a friend but said he signed the contract to fight him per the wish of the UFC matchmakers.
Perez continued:
"I'm friends with a lot of these guys. Acquaintances with a lot of them. I've been doing this since 2010 so that really doesn't have an effect on me. I fought my friend Jussier Formiga. I've known him back then [for] 10 years. I have no problem fighting them, it's only if that's what they [the UFC] really, really want... I kind of like try to stay away from those kinds of matchups."
The fight with Formiga in 2020 would result in a leg kick TKO for Perez, who would then go on to fight for the flyweight championship in his next outing. The UFC would subsequently release Formiga with the bout being his third straight loss.
Is Alex Perez fighting Tagir Ulanbekov?
Shortly after Alex Perez upset Matheus Nicolau in the main event of UFC Vegas 91, reports were made that the American would make another quick turnaround to face rising contender Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC Vegas 93.
Perez self-confirmed the rumors with an Instagram post. The Fight Night event is scheduled for June 15. Should both men make it to the agreed-upon date, it would be Perez's third fight in 2024 after not competing in 2023.
Per the UFC Vegas 93 Tapology page, the event already has 12 confirmed fights on the card. None of the matchups currently on the schedule have been confirmed as the main event as of May 3.