UFC submission of the month for September 2024: Ailin Perez's terrifying arm triangle win over Darya Zheleznyakova despite tremors and weight miss
UFC women's bantamweight Ailin Perez made a statement by securing a spectacular stoppage victory in her most recent octagon outing. 'Fiona' faced Russia-born France-based fighter, Darya Zheleznyakova, at UFC Paris at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Sept. 28, 2024. Many believe Perez's submission stole the show in last month's final UFC event.
The card was headlined by a lightweight bout between veteran Brazilian fighter Renato Moicano and France's own Benoit Saint-Denis. Moicano made waves with a second-round TKO (doctor's stoppage) victory. In addition to the headlining match, it was Perez's performance that emerged as one of the biggest talking points from 'The City of Lights.'
UFC Submission of the Month for September 2024 -- Ailin Perez vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
Ailin Perez has fought in various weight classes, including flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight. Nevertheless, she'd notably struggled to make weight for her bantamweight clash against Lucie Pudilova back in Nov. 2023, weighing in at 136.5 pounds on her first attempt. The non-title bout bantamweight limit is 136 pounds.
Perez ultimately made weight but was hospitalized due to a medical emergency. She still fought Pudilova and defeated her via unanimous decision. However, for her latest fight, a scheduled bantamweight bout against Darya Zheleznyakova last Saturday, Perez missed weight for the first time in her career.
'Fiona' trembled through her official weigh-in, leading to concerns about her health from the visibly draining weight cut. She couldn't go lower than 136.5 pounds, thereby missing weight by 0.5 pounds. Perez forfeited 20 percent of her fight purse to Zheleznyakova, and their matchup proceeded at a catchweight.
Check out Ailin Perez's weigh-in video below:
Though some believed that Perez's tough weight cut and trembling were harbingers of a compromised fighter, she surprised everyone come fight night. Darya Zheleznyakova initially attempted to grapple and impose her physicality.
Regardless, Perez, known for her grappling prowess, responded in kind. She took her opponent down and swiftly trapped her head, whilst efficiently distributing her weight on Zheleznyakova's body to prevent an escape.
Perez locked in an arm-triangle choke so deftly that Zheleznyakova tapped even before the former fully moved to the side and got additional leverage. Referee Herb Dean immediately recognized the terrifyingly tight choke and got Perez off her. The 29-year-old thereby notched her fourth consecutive victory inside the octagon. It was the first time she finished an opponent since joining the UFC.
Immediately after, Perez twerked at her vanquished foe. Some deemed the act as disrespectful. For her part, the Argentinian fighter indicated that Zheleznyakova was disrespectful toward her leading up to their showdown, which is why she taunted her with the post-fight actions right to her face.
Watch the submission and post-fight celebration below:
The speed and leverage of Perez's submission, and the other elements attached to the much-discussed matchup, overshadowed other submissions last month.
Incidentally, Perez jibed at Tracy Cortez earlier this year after she had to cut her hair off to make weight for her flyweight clash against Rose Namajunas. After Perez's weight miss debacle at UFC Paris, Cortez criticized her. 'Fiona' fired back with barbs of her own.
Furthermore, during her post-fight octagon interview at UFC Paris, Perez (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) campaigned for a women's bantamweight title shot.
Watch Ailin Perez's post-fight octagon interview below: